Water and Earth
by jido96
Summary: Kenai Beifong, son of Lin Beifong, had no idea what was in store for him when he met Avatar Korra. He could already tell this was going to be one heck of a ride, and he was more than ready for it... Or was he?
1. Chapter 1

**WATER AND EARTH**

 **CHAPTER 1: HERE COMES THE AVATAR**

(Disclaimer: I don't own A:LOK. I only own my OC's)

* * *

|Republic City, Police Department|

"Ahhh, I love the smell of coffee in the morning," the black-haired youth said after taking a sip of his beverage, allowing himself five minutes of peace and silence before he had to go back to work. This black-haired youth was nineteen years old, with light skin and green eyes, was sitting on his desk with a crap ton of paperwork in front of him. He wore the standard Metalbending uniform with an insignia on his chest that indicated his rank. His medium-length hair was a bit spiky and nearly reached his jaw.

The handsome young man finished his drink and focused on the task at hand. As always, there was an unholy amount of work left to be done, which translated to hours and hours of reading through reports and signing whatever needed to be signed by him. Indeed, the life of a Sergeant in the Police Department was far less exciting than what most people thought it was, although he still loved his job and would put up with almost everything if it meant doing his duty… even if he had to endure boring paperwork at times.

Such was the life of Kenai Beifong, the son of Lin Beifong, Republic City's Chief of Police.

"Sergeant Beifong?"

Kenai, who was beginning to read a random report, looked away from the paper and addressed the Patrolman in front of him. "Yes?"

"Your signature is required here, sir. It's about the incident that happened down at the Three Dragons District a while ago," the Patrolman said as he handed Kenai a binder.

"I heard some rumors. What happened exactly? Just give me the short version, please,"

"A young female from the Water Tribes picked up a fight against some Triple Thread Triad thugs that were supposedly blackmailing a shop owner. She taught them quite a lesson, but she also caused damage to public and private properties while she was at it. She resisted arrest and attempted to make a run for it when she was told to stand down. Eventually, both she and her Polar Bear Dog were caught and brought here for interrogation. Your mo… I mean, Chief Beifong is handling the situation, sir,"

Kenai raised an eyebrow. Well, that was certainly something. Not very often would civilians take matters into their own hands and directly confront gang members just like that. Kenai was actually on board with people doing these things most of the time, but he couldn't let them make justice like this, as it would most likely get out of hand and evolve into something more problematic. "Anything else? What do we know of the suspect?"

"Her name is Korra. Seventeen years of age, brown skin, blue eyes, typical Water Tribe physical traits, there really isn't a lot to talk about… Although, some witnesses claim she used Firebending, Earthbending, and Waterbending against the blackmailers,"

"Come again?" Kenai asked as his eyes widened. "You're telling me this girl is the Avatar?"

"It would seem so, sir. That's what the witnesses have told us, and the rest of the details do add up,"

"… This is something I have to see," the Sergeant said as he stood up and left his desk, wanting to check for himself if what his subordinate just told him was true. Was this girl truly the Avatar? What was she doing here, picking up fights with Triad members and what not? The White Lotus should've warned the Police Department about this.

The Patrolman looked slightly unsure. "Hummm, sir, what about your paperwork?"

"I'll get back to it as soon as I can. Leave the binder on my desk, will you? You're dismissed,"

* * *

|Outside of the interrogation rooms|

"So, this is the suspect's Polar Bear Dog, huh?" Kenai commented as he looked at the huge animal in front of him. The Polar Bear Dog had a saddle on its back, indicating that she was tamed. Of course, that didn't mean it was safe to approach the beast with no care whatsoever, which was why there were several chains around its body in order to restrict the Polar Bear Dog's movements. There weren't many of them, just enough to keep her under control.

"Come on, now. Don't be scared," he said smoothly as he slowly walked towards the pet, which almost immediately made the animal stand up and face Kenai. The animal didn't bark right away. Instead, it began growling with its mouth closed as a sign of caution. 'Unless she starts showing off her teeth, I'm good,' "Here, look what I have," Kenai said as he grabbed a small bag of edibles from his pocket. The Polar Bear Dog stopped growling and began sniffing the air, catching the scent of what was inside the bag.

Kenai opened the bag and took out one honey candy. Honey candies were very popular sweets consumed mainly by humans, but they were also used to reward pets in the process of domesticating them. Very carefully, Kenai threw one of them at the Polar Bear Dog's feet, and the animal immediately began chewing the delicious treat offered by the earthbender.

This went on for minutes until Kenai was close enough to reach the creature with his hand. By now, his presence no longer bothered the Polar Bear Dog, and in an act of trust, Kenai offered his last honey candy with his open palm while he touched the beast's fur with his other hand. Luckily, nothing bad happened as the animal allowed him to pet her while she enjoyed the honey candy, casually licking Kenai's fingers in the process. "There we go. I knew you were a good… Huhhhh…" Kenai trailed off as he tried to figure out whether the Polar Bear Dog was male or female.

One of the chains had a tag with the name 'Naga' written on it. "If your name is Naga, then you must be a good girl, right?" Naga's ears perked up upon hearing her name, and unexpectedly gave Kenai a slobbery kiss that left half his face covered in saliva. "Bleeck… Thank you, Naga. Good girl,"

He scratched Naga behind her ears for a while before he had to clean himself up. As much as he enjoyed interacting with animals, having his face covered with slobber wasn't exactly pleasant. Fortunately, there was a hand washer nearby which he used to get himself clean. As he began drying his hands with a towel, the door opened, and Kenai recognized the individual who had just come in right away.

"Well well well, look who we have here. It's good to see you, uncle Tenzin," Kenai greeted the airbender with a smile. He had a soft spot for the man, who also happened to be his godfather. He knew him from when he was a kid, so one could say they were almost family.

Tenzin returned the smile. "Kenai, my boy, how have you been?"

"Meh, same as always. How are things back in Air Temple Island? Are aunt Pema and the kids doing well? It's been over a month since I last visited you guys,"

"We have been doing just fine, thank you for asking. Pema is still asking when will you come over for dinner,"

"Tell her I'll be dropping by as soon as I get the chance. Sooo…" Kenai began to say, looking at Tenzin with particular interest. "I'm assuming you didn't come here just to catch up with me. Is it possible that maybe you're here because of the same person who owns that Polar Bear Dog?"

Tenzin let out a long sigh. "I am afraid that is the case. I came here to have a word with your mother and hopefully convince her to drop the charges against Korra. None of this was supposed to happen in the first place,"

"Interesting…" Kenai said as he 'hummed'. "Is this Korra chick the Avatar, by any chance?"

The airbender's face was a poem. "What in the… How did you… Where did you get that idea from?"

Kenai just gave him a know-it-all grin. "That's what's being said in the streets. And besides, I don't think you would go through the trouble of speaking with my mom just to have her release someone, unless that someone was important… as in, Avatar important. Spill the beans, uncle Tenzin. Is she the Avatar or not?"

Tenzin rubbed his temples, feeling an incoming migraine on the way. "I suppose there is no use in hiding it anymore. Yes, she is the Avatar, but she won't stay here for long. She will return to the South Pole as soon as possible and remain there for the time being,"

The earthbender said nothing as Tenzin walked into the interrogation room where the Avatar was being questioned by Lin. Kenai would've joined his godfather had it not been for the fact that it was his mother the one that was in charge of the interrogation, and Lin hated being interrupted in the middle of her job. Since Tenzin was a councilman and not a member of the Police Department, Lin couldn't berate him or order him around like he was one of her subordinates, but the same could not be said about Kenai. Even if he was her son, Lin treated him pretty much the same way she treated those who were under her command, at least while they were on active duty. As a matter of fact, Kenai was strictly forbidden to call Lin 'Mom' while in her presence and while they were wearing their Metalbending armor.

"Looks like uncle Tenzin is in for a rough time," Kenai muttered to himself. Apparently, Naga seemed to understand what he just said as she began whimpering. "Hey, come on. I'm sure everything is gonna work out. Korra will be out of here in no time,"

And he was right. About three minutes later, the door of the interrogation room opened up, and Tenzin walked out accompanied by the so-called Avatar. Filled with curiosity, Kenai took a good look at her… and what he saw made his green eyes go wide.

She was from the South Pole, alright. Mocha latte skin color, a pair of blue eyes that resembled the sky on a clear day, dark hair done in a ponytail, and blue clothes that were definitely Water Tribe. He was taller than her but by very little. His mouth became dry as Korra came closer to him, although she had yet to notice him due to the fact that she was arguing with Tenzin. 'Spirits… She's beautiful,'

"You can't send me back to the South Pole, Tenzin!" Korra protested.

"You disobeyed my orders and the orders of the White Lotus, Korra. Do you have any idea how worried we were?" Tenzin replied, making Korra wince.

"Look, I'm sorry that I escaped without saying a word, but I just had to do it. My destiny is here in Republic City. Katara said so herself!"

Tenzin immediately went red in the face. "Do not bring my mother into this!" he all but shouted as Kenai rolled his eyes. Anyone who knew Tenzin was well aware that he was a momma's boy, regardless of how much Tenzin denied it.

Ignoring his outburst, Korra continued. "Tenzin, I can't wait any longer. I'm not gonna become a better Avatar if I stay locked up in a compound for the next several years or so. I saw a lot of the city today, and it's totally out of whack. I get that you have duties and all, but so do I, and Republic City needs us both,"

Korra made a compelling argument, one that Tenzin couldn't even begin to refute. As he struggled to come up with something, his gaze focused on Kenai and a lightbulb appeared on top of his head. "Now, where are my manners? Korra, there is someone I would like you to meet," Tenzin said as he gestured Kenai to come forward, which he did. "Korra, this is Kenai Beifong, Sergeant of the Police Department, and Lin's son,"

Kenai nodded with a smile. "What's up? It's nice to me-"

"You're her son?!" Korra shouted in disbelief.

"Ye-Yeah, that's me. Why? What's so weird about it?"

"I would've never guessed someone that stern and mean would have a son," the Avatar muttered a little too loud. She then saw the blank look on Kenai's face (and felt Tenzin's glare behind her back) and immediately tried to correct herself. "I-I mean… That is to say…" she stuttered.

The son of the Chief let out an awkward laugh as he raised his hand in an appeasing manner. "Don't worry, I understand. My mom does have a bit of an attitude. Don't tell her I said that, though," In an attempt to change the subject, Kenai pointed at Naga. "By the way, that's one interesting pet you have right there,"

"Naga!" Korra shouted in delight, happy to see her life-long companion again. The Avatar wrapped her arms around Naga's neck, hugging the Polar Bear Dog enthusiastically. Naga began waging her tail in excitement, although her movements were constrained by the chains she had on her. "I missed you, girl,"

"She's quite the Polar Bear Dog, you know," Kenai began to say as he approached Korra and Naga. "At first glance she seems kinda dangerous, but once you get to know her she's actually just a big puppy. Ain't that right, Naga?"

"Hey, be careful!" Korra warned. "Naga doesn't like it when..."

SLUUUUUURP

"… When new people get too close to her," Korra finished in amusement, watching how Naga licked Kenai's face in an unmistakable show of affection. "Huh, I guess she likes you,"

"Yeah, I can tell. While you were in the interrogation room, me and Naga here became buddy buddies with one another. Would you mind…" Kenai asked as he pointed at his face.

Korra was a little confused at first, but she almost immediately understood what Kenai was trying to say. "Oh, yeah, right," With a swift move of her hand, Korra used her Waterbending to remove the slob that was on Kenai's face.

"Thanks for that. Anyways, I'm Kenai. It's a true pleasure to meet you, Korra," the earthbender said, offering his hand to the Water Tribe girl and giving her the most sincere and charming smile he could muster. Korra gladly accepted his hand and returned the smile.

"The pleasure is all mine. I gotta say, you're the nicest person I've met in Republic City so far,"

Kenai chuckled. "I don't know whether that's a good or a bad thing, so I'll take that as a compliment,"

Their conversation was cut short by Tenzin, who coughed in order to get their attention. "I believe we must get going now. There is a ship waiting for us at the docks, one that Korra will not be missing,"

* * *

The three benders were making their way to the docks, where a ship with the symbol of the White Lotus was stationed. Since Kenai didn't have much to do back in his office (besides a tremendous amount of paperwork, that is), he thought he might as well join Korra and Tenzin. The atmosphere was kind of gloomy, and Kenai didn't really like being put in awkward situations, so he decided to lighten up the mood by making some small conversation. "Soooo, I heard you got in trouble for standing up to some thugs who were abusing their power. Is that true, Korra?"

The Avatar, who was riding Naga, frowned upon hearing the question. "Pretty much. I don't mean to offend any of you guys who work at the Police Department, but why would you waste your time going after someone who was just trying to help when you could be chasing actual criminals?"

"Korra, don't say such things," Tenzin said as he looked over his shoulder. "The police forces had every right to stop you, regardless of the nature of your intentions,"

Kenai waved his hand in a dismissing way. "It's okay, uncle. I get her point of view," he said before looking at Korra. "The thing is, you probably wouldn't have gotten yourself arrested if you hadn't destroyed that much public and private property. It's not easy to prove your innocence if you leave a mess behind. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"… Okay, that's kind of a fair point," the Avatar conceded. In the process of neutralizing the members of the Triple Threat Triads, she did smash several shops and objects that had little to nothing to do with the confrontation. The heat of the moment and her sincere desire to help others made Korra forget that she was no longer in the South Pole, where things worked in a different way.

"That being said, I'm actually glad you intervened,"

Kenai's statement caught Korra off guard. "Really? You are?"

"Yup. I hate how those scumbags think they can get away with everything. We may be police officers and all, but the truth is, we can't just snap our fingers and fix everything. If it were that way, things would be a lot easier for us. Thanks to you, there are three criminals less roaming the streets, which makes my job easier in return," the Sergeant answered truthfully. He then gave the Avatar a sheepish smile. "If anything, this whole thing you caused gave me an excuse to leave the office early, and that's good enough for me,"

Korra laughed a little, feeling slightly better than before. It was good to know that at least someone was on her side… sort of. Maybe Kenai wasn't thrilled by how Korra managed the situation, but he did support her decision to do something about the crime, and that was good enough for her. It seemed not everyone in the police force was so bad, after all. Especially the cute Sergeant.

…

'Wait. Cute?' Korra thought to herself as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. Now that she had taken a good look at Kenai, it was safe to say that the earthbender was actually kind of handsome. The combination of his light skin, green eyes, and black unruly hair certainly went a long way. He wasn't an Adonis or anything of the sort, but he was attractive to a degree. The fact that he was kind and funny also played a role.

Shaking her head, Korra realized they had already reached the docks. Her face adopted a gloomy expression, knowing full well what was going to happen next. She was going back to her old life at the South Pole, seeing the same old faces and doing the same things she had been doing for years now, all because it was too 'risky' for her to live outside the watch of the White Lotus like a normal person.

| Several minutes later in the ship, on their way to Air Temple Island |

* * *

"Uncle Tenzin, I need to speak with you," Kenai said in a serious tone as he approached the monk, who was staring at the ocean on the deck of the ship. Korra was in the back of the ship with Naga minding her own business, so Kenai took the chance to speak with his godfather in private.

"What is it, Kenai?"

"I don't usually try to argue with you, but I really think you're on the wrong side of the story here. You should allow Korra to stay, if only just for a while,"

Tenzin gave the earthbender an aggravated look. "Kenai, this subject is not up for discussion. You know very well how unstable Republic City has grown over the years, especially with the rise of the Equalists and gang violence. If Korra gets caught in the middle of it, only the Spirits know what could happen to her,"

"All the more reason why having Korra around can be a good thing. Isn't the Avatar supposed to bring peace and balance? Because judging by how unstable Republic City is right now, some peace and balance is exactly what we need. Nothing's gonna change for the better if Korra remains locked up in the South Pole. At the very least she should see for herself what's happening here,"

"The White Lotus wouldn't tolerate it. It is their mission to watch over the Avatar and make sure no threat comes to her," Tenzin argued.

Kenai rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Tch. Don't you think the White Lotus has been babysitting Korra long enough? Besides, if she's the Avatar, then she'll have to face danger inevitably. Avatar Aang was only a child when he had to stop a war that had been going on for a hundred years; I think Korra can deal with the problems of one city. It can't possibly be worse than a full-blown war spread across the world,"

The airbender's gaze hardened. "That is not a fair comparison,"

"Neither is your treatment towards Korra," Kenai countered. "Let's make a deal, okay? If Korra gets to stay, I promise to keep an eye on her at all times and make sure she doesn't get herself into trouble. Wherever she goes, I'll be right behind her. She can stay with you and, I don't know, practice Airbending in the meantime or something. I can even move out of my house and sleep at your place for a couple of days if you want. Mom won't make a big deal out of it,"

That last statement was kind of a bluff, to be honest. First of all, Lin had no interest or sympathy for troublemakers, and considering what Korra did today, it was safe to say Lin wasn't going to be thrilled to know Korra wasn't actually going back to the South Pole, and that she was going to stay here instead. Second, while Kenai was a Sergeant of the Police Department and had a certain amount of authority, his mother was the Chief and she had the final word in every decision taken under the name of the police forces. Being her son didn't give him a free 'do-whatever-you-want' pass, despite what some co-workers thought. Lin had to be okay with him watching over Korra, otherwise the deal would be dead before it came to life.

"… Are you certain Lin will agree to this?" Tenzin asked a tad bit unsure.

"As long as she stays out of trouble and doesn't give Mom a reason to distrust her, she should manage to tolerate Korra. I think I'm in Korra's good side, so at the very least she'll listen to me before doing anything rushed," That was as factual as Kenai would risk going for. He still needed Lin's approval, and before any of that, he had to convince Tenzin. One task after the other. "You have my word as Sergeant of the Police Department that I'll protect Korra. I truly believe allowing her to stay here is the right thing to do. Can you trust me on this one, uncle Tenzin?"

"I… I will consider this deal of yours," the airbender said with much care. He was determined to have Korra back in the South Pole, but after hearing what his godson had to say, he wasn't so sure now. "May I ask why you are so keen on having Korra around? I would understand if you were childhood friends, but you two have just recently met,"

The question caught Kenai off guard, but thankfully he was able to regain his composure. "Why? Well, huh… I just try to imagine being on her shoes, you know? I mean, I know she's the Avatar and all, but she also must have some freedom. I'm just being sympathetic, that's all," His answer was honest, but incomplete. It would also give him the chance to interact with Korra on a daily basis and at a more personal level… but there was no need for Tenzin to know that, right? "We'll reach Air Temple Island in a few minutes. Please give it some thought," and with that said, Kenai turned around and went inside, leaving a reflective Tenzin behind.

...

Upon arriving at the Air Temple, Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo glided down from their rooms and welcomed Korra with open arms, absolutely thrilled to see the Avatar again. "Korra!" they all shouted in unison. The Water Tribe Girl hugged the three of them at the same time.

"Is it true you're gonna stay with us now?" Ikki asked in excitement.

Korra gave her a sad look. "No. I'm sorry guys, but I have to go back to the South Pole," The disappointment caused by those few words was almost tangible. The airbending kids were so sad that small tears began to gather in Ikki's eyes and Jinora almost began sniffling. Meelo wasn't about to cry, but he sure looked cheerless for someone as upbeat and goofy as he was.

Korra said her goodbyes and began walking away with Naga at her side. Kenai, who was only a couple of steps away from Tenzin, looked at his godfather and gave him a knowing look, as if saying 'It's now or never. What do you say?' At first, it seemed as if Tenzin was going to remain silent, but then…

"… Wait," Korra stopped in her tracks and turned around, watching Tenzin coming closer to her with a look of resignation on his face. "For years, I have done my best to guide Republic City towards the dream my father had for it. However, it is true that it has fallen out of balance ever since his departure. I prioritized Republic City because I wanted to see my father's legacy to flourish, but at the same time, I forgot that you are his legacy as well. From here on now, you may stay here and learn Airbending under my tutelage. This city needs its Avatar," he finished while placing a hand on Korra's shoulder, which made her gasp in shock.

Unable to resist the urge, Korra shouted. "Yes! Thank you so much! This is the best thing ever!" The Avatar then proceeded to hug the airbending kids AND Tenzin at the same time as if they were rag dolls instead of human beings. Even Naga felt the sudden change in the mood as she started barking and wagging her tail in excitement.

Once the hug came to an end, Korra flashed a dazzling smile full of hope at Tenzin. "I swear you won't regret this… Can I ask what made you change your mind?"

Tenzin coughed into his hand. "While on our way here, I came to an agreement with Kenai. He promised he will watch over you and stick close to you at all times during your stay here in Republic City. In exchange, I will allow you to remain here instead of having you back in the South Pole," Korra then stared at Kenai with her jaw slightly open. The earthbender, who had his arms crossed, smiled and sent her a friendly wink. "Of course, I expect nothing but professionalism from his part, if you are to le-"

"Oooff!"

Before Kenai had time to blink, Korra ran up to him and gave him a bone-crushing hug that lifted him up. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Ko-Korra… Can't breathe… Need oxygen…"

Korra realized she was squeezing Kenai to death and promptly let go of him. "Sorry, I think I got a little carried away," the Avatar said as she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.

"It's okay…" Kenai grunted as he rubbed his ribs, wondering if by any chance one of them was broken. His face was purple due to lack of oxygen. 'Geez, what do they feed this girl? Is she made out of iron or something?' he wondered. With that sort of strength, Korra could probably snap his neck without putting in much effort. Once he was recovered, he cleared his throat and raised his voice. "Anyways, I'd love to stay for the night, but I have to get back home now. I have to convince Mom to… I mean, I have to inform her of the news and discuss a few details. Do you think the White Lotus can give me a ride?"

* * *

(Beifong Residence)

"Thank you, sir. Have a good night," Kenai said to the taxi driver that picked him up at the docks after the guys in the White Lotus ship were kind enough to drop him in Republic City.

'Man, this day has been crazy,' Kenai thought as he gave the driver a couple of bills and got out of the car. On his way home, he thought about how could he get his mother to agree with him. The one thing he did know was that under no circumstances he should act as if the choice of keeping an eye on Korra was his and his alone. That would only infuriate Lin as the Chief of the Police Department would see it as a blatant disrespect towards her authority. No, if he wanted this whole thing to work out, he needed his mom to openly express her permission. The rest would be a piece of cake.

Taking a deep breath, Kenai grabbed his keys and unlocked his house door. 'Here goes nothing,' "Hey Mom, I'm home," he said with a loud voice as he entered. The Beifong residence was located in one of the wealthiest areas of Republic City, and yet it was actually humble compared to the other houses. It had everything a family of two needed, plus a little decoration here and there. Nothing too expensive, as Lin wasn't fond of wasting her money on fancy things she had little use for.

"I'm in the kitchen, honey," Lin's voice echoed. The Chief of the Police Department was enjoying a cup of tea while reading the newspaper. She was wearing her pajamas underneath a light green dressing gown. Upon seeing her son, Lin's facial features softened considerably, which was her way of smiling. "You came home late today," she stated.

"And you're here earlier," Kenai shot back as he approached Lin and gave him a little kiss on her cheek. If any other man dared to try and kiss Chief Beifong, she would have him arrested, half-beaten to death and sentenced to life in prison faster than he could say 'crap', but since Kenai was her only son, he could get away with it. Such displays of affection, however, could only occur when they were alone and outside their workplace. "How was your day? Did anything interesting happen?"

"Not really, aside from an encounter with a loud troublemaker who thought she could do my job and an obnoxious monk who interrupted my interrogation,"

Kenai chuckled. "Yeah, Korra's a handful, isn't she?"

Lin stopped reading the newspaper and gave her son a questioning look. "You know her?"

"Sort of. Uncle Tenzin introduced me to her while I was taking care of her Polar Bear Dog. Apparently, she pounded some Triple Threat Triads thugs that were doing their thing,"

"And destroyed public and private property while she was at it. If that wasn't enough, she attempted to escape arrest with that overgrown pet of hers. She says she's the Avatar, but she acted like another criminal of the bunch,"

The Sergeant flinched a little. He already expected Lin to dislike the Avatar, but he didn't expect her to see Korra as just another criminal of the bunch. Korra was hotheaded and proactive, but she was not a delinquent. Whatever the case, Kenai wasn't going to argue with her right now. He was about to bring up the subject, but then Lin told him dinner would be ready in a few minutes and that he should go change. With a quick nod, Kenai walked upstairs and entered his room.

Kenai's room was exactly what you would expect from a nineteen-year-old who worked in the Police Department: Small, tidy, not a thing out of its place. Lin was very adamant about teaching her son how to be disciplined, and part of that was having a well-ordered room. There was a desk against the wall that he used when he needed to write a report and what not. Several pictures were framed, including one that showed a picture of him along with Lin of the day he graduated from Republic City's Cadet Academy at the age of seventeen. He was shown holding a certificate that acknowledged him as the top student of his class, a feat he was very proud of.

After stretching his neck, Kenai took off his armor, gauntlets, and boots, leaving them inside his closet and putting on a white tank top along with sweatpants. He didn't mind wearing his armor as it was not uncomfortable, but after a long day of work, there was nothing better than taking off your armor and wear something loose and warm.

Lin was waiting for him with dinner ready. She wasn't that great at cooking due to her being the Chief of the Police Department, a job that didn't offer a lot of free time. Kenai didn't really mind that much since he could barely cook himself. They made some small talk as they ate and discussed things such as the new budget the Police Department was getting. When he thought the time was right, Kenai spoke up. "Mom, there's something I wanted to talk to you. It's about Korra,"

"What about her?" Lin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I spoke to Tenzin and he told me Korra was going to stay with him and his family at the Air Temple. He's gonna start teaching her Airbending. However, he wanted to have someone who could watch out for Korra while she's there, and well, since I was there, I sort of-"

"Let me guess. You volunteered for the job,"

Kenai's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

"I'm your mother, Kenai. I can read you like an open book," Lin stated as a matter of fact. "Though why would you bother to put up with her is beyond me,"

The Sergeant scratched the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "Heh, what can I say? Tenzin needed someone he could trust and I just happened to be available. Plus, I've always wanted to meet the Avatar. That way, you won't have to worry about her destroying Republic City a second time. Three birds with one stone. Of course, I wanted to see if you were okay with this. I understand if you're not thrilled, but I think this is a great opportunity to-"

"Fine, you can do it," Lin cut him off with a tired sigh.

"R-Really?" Kenai blinked owlishly, not expecting his mother to agree that easily. He was fully prepared to endure hours of arguing back and forth, which was what usually happened when Kenai tried to convince Lin about something.

Lin nodded. "Under normal circumstances I would've let the White Lotus deal with this headache, but I don't know them enough to trust them when it comes to police affairs, and Tenzin would've pestered me until I agreed to lend him some of my men, as if I didn't have enough work already," the earthbender frowned upon saying the name of her ex love-interest. Kenai wisely chose to say nothing. "In any case, I don't want her around. But if she does come, at least I'll have the certainty you'll be there to stop her from causing a number on my streets,"

Kenai let out a wide grin. "Great! Thanks, Mom!" he said a little too excited. He realized shortly after that Lin was giving him a rather questioning look, which was why he decided to adopt a more sober attitude. "I mean, thank you, mother. I'll make sure Korra won't give you any trouble,"

"I sure hope so," and with that, Lin officially ended the conversation. They both finished their dinner in silence and wished goodnight to one another. After he pulled up his bedsheets, Kenai stared at the ceiling of his room and, almost unwillingly, he began to smile. He had gotten away with it. For the next days, he was going to spend his time with Tenzin, Pema, the airbending kids, and Korra, instead of having to deal with boring paperwork and pesky criminals.

He didn't know why, but Kenai had a feeling things were definitely going to change, and it didn't bother him in the slightest. Before he knew it, he was sleeping like a baby.

* * *

Hello everybody, and welcome to the first chapter of the story.

For those of you who don't know, this story will replace the now discontinued story "the element of freedom". As I announced in my previous update, this will be the new version and I hope to you all like how's it going so far.

I mentioned there would be several major changes in character. Well, Kenai is now an Earth/Metalbender and the son of Lin, which makes him Kenai Beifong… I know, right? I wasn't expecting this either, but I liked the idea of it. Plus it makes it easier to explain where he comes from, which is one of the things that I couldn't quite explain in "the element of freedom". Sozu will also make an appearance soon, although the Raven Eagle is no longer a Raven Eagle. Now, Sozu is a… Nah, you'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out.

By the way, I know the title of this story is kinda rubbish, but it's the best I have so far. If you any suggestion, write a review and tell me what title would fit better.

Review, Favorite & Follow.

Peace


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2: TRAINING BEGINS**

(Disclaimer: I don't own A:LOK. I only own my OC's)

|Republic City press conference|

'I never thought this many people would come,' was the thought of the teenage Avatar as she walked towards her seat in front of hundreds and hundreds of photographers that kept blinding her with multiple flashes of light. She really could care less about how she looked in the pictures; she just wanted to get over with this as soon as possible. Really, what was it with putting her in front of so many people and answer questions? 'Can't I just... I don't know; write my answers on a sheet of paper? Wait, scratch that. I am so NOT writing that much,'

Fortunately, Tenzin and Kenai came with her in an attempt to keep her calm and suggest what questions she should answer and what not. Lin was there to, but only as a formality. While the moral support from Tenzin and Kenai was appreciated, what Korra really needed right now was a sudden burst of inspiration. And so she started. "Hello, I'm Korra, your new Avatar," she said. 'Well, that went perfect,'

Questions soon flooded the press conference. "Does this mean you're moving into Republic City?"

"Were you trying to send a message to the Triads yesterday?"

"Will you be fighting crime or the anti-bending revolution or both?"

"Will you be working with Chief Beifong and the police?"

Trying to compose herself from the sudden outburst of questions, Korra spoke up. "Uhm, yes. I am definitely here to stay, but... I honestly I don't exactly have a plan... yet? See, I'm still in training, but look. All I know is Avatar Aang meant for this city to be the center of peace and balance in the world. And I believe we can make his dream a reality. I look forward to serving you. I'm so happy to be here! Thank you, Republic City!"

Korra's statement, although a little cliché, earned her a round of applauses from the reporters and civilians who were present. The Avatar felt as if she had just lifted a huge weight off her shoulders, and even waved at the cameras before Tenzin removed her off the stage, claiming that was all the time they had. Kenai, who was wearing his Metalbending armor, came in and replaced Korra. "Sergeant Beifong here," he announced as the microphones amplified his voice.

"Sergeant Beifong, what is your take on the current anti-bending revolution?" a random reporter asked.

"I said it once and I'll say it again. Nothing good will come out of this extremist movement. These terrorists are standing in the way of peace and unity, something that will not be tolerated. Here in Republic City, everyone is entitled to an opinion and is free to express themselves. However, using violence methods and fear mongering in order to achieve a political goal is not only wrong, but also punished by the law. That is all I have to say regarding that subject,"

"What about the state of bending gang violence? How would you deal with that problem?"

"I cannot speak on behalf of the entire Police Department. It's no secret that violence and crime from bending gangs has raised over the last years, but so have our commitment and our determination to arrest every single one who takes part on those activities. We won't tolerate people who take advantage of their bending abilities over fellow civilians, that I can assure you,"

"Will you be working close with the Avatar?"

"Only time will tell. I won't do anything that goes against the orders of my superiors. Avatar Korra has just arrived, and we've yet to do any work together, although I'm looking forward to join her in our mutual task of protecting Republic City,"

"It's been a year since you were given the rank of Sergeant in the Police Department, despite being only nineteen years of age,"

Kenai raised an eyebrow. "Is there a question in that statement?"

"My question is do you think you've risen up to the challenge that is to tackle both the anti-bending revolution and the bending gangs?"

"If my higher-ups decided I wasn't fit for the job, they would've told me so a long time ago. I will continue to perform my duties as Sergeant of the Police Department and exceed any expectations my superiors have of me,"

"Did your familiar relationship with Chief Beifong play a role in your promotion?"

The earthbender rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Absolutely not. Next question,"

"Do you see yourself as the next Chief of Police?"

"Not necessary. Right now, the only thing I have to worry about is the state of Republic City, not whether I am Chief material or not. I have a long road ahead of me, and I am not as ambitious as other colleagues of mine. That will be all. I wish all of you a good day,"

A bunch of reporters insisted on asking him questions, but Kenai had already left the stage. Press conferences were a pain in the ass, but it was part of his job and he had gotten used to it. Some people excelled at giving explanations and sweet-talking the crowd. Other people did an amazing job researching and deciphering codes. Kenai? Kenai was more of an action kind of guy. His place was with Lin and his squad facing criminals and bringing them to justice. He was a fighter, and a damn good one if he said so himself. He didn't need to have cameras all over his face, and he was most definitely not the best suited for a desk job.

"That was a nice speech you gave there, Korra," Kenai said as he joined the Avatar, who was chatting with Tenzin in the backstage. Korra looked at him and smiled.

"Thanks. You weren't half bad yourself, Sergeant Hotshot," she teased.

Kenai snorted and puffed his chest. "That's Mister Sergeant Hotshot to you, missy. If you want to stay in Republic City, then you better start showing respect to the authorities," he said in a joking manner.

"Yeah, don't hold your breath," Korra responded, an amused look on her face. She then turned around and looked at Tenzin. "So, what's the deal? Are we gonna start my training today?"

Tenzin cleared his throat. "Yes, we are. You will find traditional Airbending robes in your room when we return. I believe we should start your lessons with the gates exercise," he then addressed Kenai. "Have you told your mother you will be keeping an eye on Korra from here on now, Kenai?" Tenzin asked as his face suddenly developed a slightly fearful expression. "I know for a fact Lin wouldn't appreciate having to call me to ask where you are,"

"Don't sweat it, uncle Tenzin," Kenai replied. "I already told her and I have her approval, so there's nothing to worry about. I'll be joining you guys once I'm done packing the rest of my stuff,"

Tenzin sighed in relief. Calling Tenzin was undoubtedly one of the things that thoroughly annoyed Lin, as well as talking to him, speaking about him, and overall, interacting with him. It was not easy for the Chief of Police to maintain a professional relationship with Tenzin, not only because of how much their views differed from one another, but also because the councilman just happened to be her ex-boyfriend AND the godfather to Kenai, her only son. Not really the most comfortable situation you can find yourself in, to be honest.

|Air Temple|

Two hours later, the local ferry was arriving at the Air Temple with Kenai, who was no longer wearing his Metalbending armor. Instead, he was wearing dark green boots, khaki pants, a black t-shirt with short sleeves and a zipped-up, short-sleeved hoodie that matched the color of his boots. The only part of his armor (which he kept inside his luggage) he still had on were his gauntlets that allowed him to shoot cables through Metalbending. They were deadly useful, and Kenai never knew when he would find himself in the need to use them, so he wore them most of the time.

"I haven't been here in a while. This place hasn't changed a bit," Kenai commented as he got off the ferry and stepped inside the docks. Ah, the atmosphere that surrounded Air Temple Island was the complete opposite of the one in Republic City. This island was a place for peace and meditation, which was certainly scarce in a place like Republic City where everyone seemed to be in a hurry for the tiniest of things. Well, he did work in the Police Department, so of course he was in a constant state of alarm in case something happened. With some luck, maybe this 'mission' could get him to relax a bit and take his mind off of things… maybe.

As he made his way to the shore, three White Lotus sentries approached him. The guy in the middle cleared his throat and spoke on behalf of the three of them. "Greetings, Sergeant Beifong. We were expecting you,"

"Hello," Kenai responded, thinking it felt a bit weird to be called Sergeant Beifong while he wasn't wearing his armor. It was probably weirder for them to call someone so young a Sergeant, but meh, what can you do about it. "Did uncle Tenzin tell you to wait for me?"

"Indeed, Master Tenzin asked us to wait for your arrival. Would you like us to show you the way to your room?"

The earthbender shook his head. "That won't be necessary. I know my way around the temple," The guard nodded and stepped aside so that Kenai could set foot on the island. To be honest, the White Lotus sentries didn't look like they belonged in a place like the Air Temple. Their armor and their imposing figure were nothing like the robes of the Air Acolytes that worked to preserve the island.

After ten minutes of walking, Kenai reached the training area where all the gates were set up. He was soon greeted by the Airbending kids who almost tackled him as if they were rugby players. The earthbender held Ikki and Jinora in his arms while Meelo pretty much attached himself to his leg. The daughters and son of Tenzin had a very soft spot for Kenai, as the sergeant was like an older brother figure to all of them. At the same time, Kenai saw them as his little cousins and acted as such.

"Kenai, you came!" Jinora squealed in delight. "Is it true that you're gonna stay with us just like Korra?"

"I sure am," the earthbender replied with a smile. "Speaking of which, where is she?"

Ikki was the first to respond. "Daddy was showing Korra all of the cool places around the island. They're about to start their first Airbending lesson and then Korra's gonna airbend and then she's gonna learn how to fly and then she's gonna be the first flying Avatar ever!" she said all of that at once. Ikki was known for having a motor-powered mouth.

"Ikki, Korra isn't going to master Airbending after having just one lesson. It's something that takes time," Jinora said as a matter of fact. The oldest of the three siblings had a natural tendency to correct whatever her brother and sister said, which was why they argued on a daily basis. "And besides, you can't fly around like a Raven Eagle just because you're an airbender. That ability has never been confirmed,"

"You know what's confirmed? That cockroach over your head!" Ikki replied as she pointed at her sister's hair. Jinora, who was absolutely terrified of insects, almost had a panic attack and began searching for said bug with her hands, whimpering and completely ruining her silky hair while she was at it.

Once she heard Ikki's stifled giggles, Jinora realized her sister was messing with her, and as an act of revenge, she took a deep breath and used her Airbending skills to exhale a gust of wind directed at Ikki's face. Tenzin's youngest daughter ended up looking as if a hurricane had just gone by, with both her hair buns tousled.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Meelo began clapping.

Both girls seemed ready to have a go at it, but before they could start a fight, Kenai shot his cables and restrained the two airbenders while they were moving their arms, making sure that his grip on them was firm but not too rough since he didn't want to hurt them. "Alright, let's all calm down and breathe, okay? Siblings have to take care of each other, not fight like two Pygmy Pumas in a cage. Now, apologize to one another and let's move on,"

Kenai retrieved his cables, hoping that his intervention was enough to prevent a childish skirmish from erupting. Luckily, neither Jinora nor Ikki attempted to blast each other, although they didn't apologize like Kenai hoped they would. They merely released an angry huff and looked at the other way while they crossed their arms. "Awwww, but I wanted to see them fight," Meelo whined.

The earthbender rolled his eyes. 'These three are a handful and a half. Can uncle Tenzin and aunt Pema truly take care of a fourth child? I wouldn't be surprised if they end up in a mental asylum or something,' he thought humorously. Kenai really cared for the kids, but he lacked the patience to put up with their constant bickering, although he supposed it was natural for siblings to argue about everything when they're kids. An only son like him wouldn't know about it.

In that moment, Tenzin arrived at the scene, followed behind by Korra. The Avatar was wearing traditional monk robes that were identical to the ones worn by Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo, and truth be told, she didn't look anything like an airbender at all. Her physical features, mainly her darker skin and blue eyes, pretty much screamed 'Water Tribe here' and no amount of robes would make her seem similar to any of the females living in the Air Temple. 'It's not necessarily a bad thing, but that outfit does look weird on her,' Kenai admitted to himself.

"Korra's gonna airbend! Korra's gonna airbend!" Ikki cheered.

Korra thanked the enthusiasm will a small smile, eager to begin the lessons that would finally make her a fully-fledged Avatar. She also noticed the figure standing behind the children and her eyes widened in surprise. "Kenai? Is that you?"

"The one and only," Kenai replied with a smile.

"… Huh, I almost didn't recognize you without your armor,"

"You're one to talk. I never would've guessed you were into monk fashion,"

"What? Oh, you mean this old thing?" Korra asked as she looked down at her robes. "Yeah, not exactly my kind of clothing, but Tenzin said this is the standard Airbending uniform and I don't really have a choice in the matter,"

It was true. Korra felt strange wearing clothes that weren't Water Tribe. It would've been a lot more comfortable for her to just wear his usual outfit, but she decided not to make a big deal out of it given that she only had to use the robes while during her lessons.

Kenai shrugged his shoulders. He also thought the monk robes that Tenzin and his kids had to wear looked lame and even a bit silly, but he didn't voiced his opinion out of the respect he had for his godfather. Kenai was well aware of how much Tenzin cared for Airbending culture and its preservation, so he held himself from saying things that the son of Aang would feel offended by when it came to that specific topic… although that didn't stop him from making jokes about Tenzin's bald head every now and then.

…

What? It was all in good fun. Besides, a joke never killed anybody.

"Anyways, what's that giant contraption for?" Korra asked while she pointed at the air gates in front of her.

"We will start your training with the gates exercise. It will teach you the very foundation of Airbending," the monk replied. "Jinora, would you care to explain?"

She nodded. "The goal is to weave your way through the gates and to make it to the other side without touching them,"

"Okay, sounds easy enough," Korra confidently declared.

Hearing her naive answer, Kenai laughed. He had seen the gates exercise in action plenty of times before. "Looks like somebody forgot to say that you have to do it while the gates are spinning,"

Tenzin then took a step forward and released an air blast to the gates, which started to spin around at great speed. He then sent a leaf towards the gates which weaved its way through the gates without being touched once. "The key is to be the leaf. You have to flow with the movements of the gates, not oppose them. Jinora will demonstrate,"

Jinora prepared for a minute before effortlessly making her way through the gates. Her body seemed to move on its own, spinning alongside the gates while avoiding getting hit by them. Once Jinora was done with the exercise, she used her bending to keep the gates moving, signaling to Korra that it was her turn. "Let's do this!" Korra shouted as she began running.

It was all going well and good until the moment she entered the gates, which was when things started to get messy for Korra, and that was putting it lightly.

BAAM BAAM BAAM BAAM

Korra seemed to get assaulted by every single gate that was spinning. Once she got hit, there was no way for her to get back on track. The point of the exercise was to pass through the gates without stopping, because if you stopped, you were going to get hit inevitably. Korra's mistake was to believe that she had to rely solely on her speed, which was fine by her given that she was fairly fast thanks to her training in the South Pole. In reality, it was much more about timing and swiftness, as well as 'allowing your body to move with complete freedom' or some Airbending mumbo jumbo that Kenai's didn't really understood or cared for.

Eventually, Korra was thrown out of the gates and landed on her lower back. It was fair to say that Korra's attempt was rubbish by all standards. The Avatar stood up, both her body and her pride feeling sore, and walked up to Tenzin with a rather annoyed look on her face. "How was that for a first try?"

"Don't you worry, Korra. Not even the most talented airbenders in history were able to master this exercise straight away. It requires patience and time just like everything else," was Tenzin's appeasing answer. He was far too kind and gentle to label Korra's first attempt as a failure, even if it clearly was. "Why don't you try again?"

Taking a deep breath, the Water Tribe girl got ready and gave it a go. Her second attempt wasn't much better than the first one as Korra was getting pummeled yet again. Kenai flinched every time he saw Korra getting hit, which happened to be very often in case you were wondering. The Sergeant shook his head and looked at Tenzin. "I think I'll just leave now,"

"I thought you wanted to see Korra's training," the airbender said.

"I do want to see Korra's training. What I don't want to see is her getting beaten into a pulp," Kenai stated. "And besides, I still have to unpack and say hello to aunt Pema… Should I send someone over with a medical kit?"

Tenzin sighed. "Please do. We will need it,"

|Several hours later|

"Airbend!" Korra shouted as she attempted to produce at least a gentle breeze of air, using an old newspaper with the picture of Lin in it as a target. "What's wrong with me? Airbend!" she exclaimed as she tried another time. Needless to say, she got the same results.

To say that Korra was frustrated was an understatement. Korra had been trying to Airbend for the last half hour and not a single time she felt like she was getting close to actually do something that resembled Airbending. Why was it so hard when all the other elements came to her so easily? When she was 5 years-old she was already capable of bending water, fire, and earth, but even after 12 years of intense training, her Airbending had yet to manifest itself. She thought that things would change for the better by moving into the Air Temple, but everything was as useless as ever. Was it some kind of joke from Aang or one of the previous Avatars?

"Maybe I'm just not cut out to be an airbender, huh Nagga?" Korra asked her Polar Bear Dog that was sitting close to her. She was about to leave the place when she heard a familiar voice from behind.

"There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you,"

Korra gasped in shock as she immediately recognized Kenai's voice. She then realized Lin's picture was still there, and without thinking twice about it, Korra sent a small fire ball that incinerated the newspaper within seconds. Kenai probably wouldn't appreciate her using his mother's photograph as a target. "H-Hey there, Kenai. What are you doing here?" she asked while turning around and trying to act normal.

"Well, I'm supposed to keep an eye on you, so here I am. What were you doing just now? Other than burning down innocent newspapers, that is,"

"Me? I was just…" Korra tried to find a believable excuse, but she couldn't think of anything. In the end, she sighed and decided to be honest with him. "I just wanted to be alone for a while. This was my first Airbending lesson and it sucked. I sucked. Air is the only element left for me to learn, and judging by how things turned out today, I don't see myself bending air anytime soon,"

The sad look on her face forced Kenai to say some words of encouragement. For some reason, seeing her distressed didn't sit well with him, and felt like he had to do something about it. "So your first lesson didn't go quite well, what of it? No one learns Airbending in a day, and maybe you're simply not used to practice the way Tenzin tells you to. That doesn't make you any less of an Avatar,"

"I know, I know, and it's not like I was expecting to learn Airbending in five minutes. But I just don't understand why I had no problem learning the rest of the other elements, yet never came even close to grasp Airbending, and I've been training since I was five years of age,"

Kenai was beginning to understand where Korra was coming from. If you could master three of the four elements with relative ease, you would expect to have the same results with the last element. That would definitely frustrate or at least confuse any Avatar whose training began at age five. "Well, I think you should look at your situation from another perspective. You're seventeen years-old and you're already a Firebending, Earthbending, and Waterbending master. That's pretty amazing if you ask me. All of the other Avatars in the past managed to learn all four elements in due time, what makes you think you'll be any different?" Kenai then approached Korra and placed his hand over her shoulder, giving her a warm smile. "Besides, I have faith in you. Give it some time and you'll see that I'm right,"

Korra stared at the earthbender somewhat surprised, but after a while she just smiled and placed her hand on top of Kenai's. "Thanks for that, I'll try to see things you way,"

"You don't have to thank me, we all need some moral support every now and then," Kenai said as his hand left Korra's shoulder. He felt great for improving Korra's sad mood as he knew that would make him closer to her as a friend. He was about to suggest going inside and continue their conversation there, but before he could speak, he was interrupted by the sound of a radio voice not too far away.

" _Ladies and gentleman, we are coming to you live all the way from Republic City's Pro-bending Arena, the place where only the best of the best get to participate in this exciting event. We will shortly announce the upcoming matches, so grab your snacks, turn the volume on, and get ready for one intense night of Pro-bending. Speaking about snacks, don't forget to try out the new honey candies from Inui Confectionary, the shop with the sweetest sweets in the market…"_

Korra was bouncing up and down in excitement. "Did you hear that!? The matches are about to start! Come on, let's go!" Without waiting for a response, the Avatar grabbed Kenai's wrist and literally dragged him around like he was a kid.

"Hey, let go off me!" Kenai protested, feeling a bit embarrassed by the fact that he was being dragged around by a girl two years younger than him. If his colleagues in the Police Department ever saw him in his current situation, Kenai would never hear the end of it. He had to use his other hand to free himself from Korra's grip. "And why are you so excited all of a sudden? They're just Pro-bending matches,"

"Just Pro-bending matches? Just Pro-bending matches!?" Korra stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Kenai in shock, as if the Sergeant had suddenly grown a pair of antlers. "How can you say something like that? Pro-bending is by far the coolest thing in the world! I mean, how can you not like it?"

"I never said anything about not liking Pro-bending, I just think it's a bit overrated," Kenai clarified unapologetically. He didn't think Pro-bending was boring, but he simply didn't understand what all the hype was about. "On the other hand, neither of us has better things to do, so we might as well hear a couple of matches before going to bed,"

Korra flashed him a grin. "That's what I'm talking about. Now let's go, I don't want to miss a thing," They both made their way towards a small building where three White Lotus sentries were making themselves comfortable in a balcony, adjusting the radio and listening to the commentators' pre-game analysis. There was a wooden staircase that connected the balcony to the ground, making it a lot easier to reach either of those places. Kenai was about to walk up the steps when he was suddenly stopped by Korra, who placed a hand over his shoulder to gain his attention. "Okay, here's the thing. I need you to distract those guys while I get on top of the roof. Thirty seconds should be enough,"

The Sergeant blinked in confusion, unable to process Korra's request. "You want to hear the matches from the rooftop? Why on Earth would you want to do that?"

"It's because of Tenzin. He… Well, he doesn't want me to get involved with Pro-bending, and he probably told the guards not to let me hear their radio while the matches are on. I don't want to take any chances, so the only option I have left is to sneak in," Korra explained as she grasped her arm and stared down at her feet, looking a tad bit nervous. "Look, you don't have to get involved if you don't want to, but please don't tell Tenzin I'm about to do this. I don't need another lecture from him,"

Kenai was taken aback by Korra's words. Was Tenzin really that strict? He was aware of the monk's aversion towards Pro-bending, and he was well within his right to feel that way, but prohibiting Korra from listening Pro-bending matches via radio was an unfair, almost ridiculous exaggeration from his part.

'Sorry uncle Tenzin, but I'm gonna have to support Korra on this one,' "Actually, I think you deserve to take your mind off of things," Kenai replied with a glint of mischief in his eyes. "I'm in. Just stay here and wait for my signal, okay?"

The Avatar's face brightened up like a lantern as she nodded in agreement. Kenai walked up the steps, making sure not to make a lot of noise so that the White Lotus sentries wouldn't notice him coming. When he got to the balcony, he crouched and took cover behind a couple of barrels, using the space between them to spy on the guards. They didn't seem to be paying much attention to anything other than the commentator's voice, who was now announcing the first match of the night. Hell, they even brought snacks and drinks (non-alcoholic drinks, mind you) with them. Korra probably could reach the rooftop without having to use a distraction, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

He focused his gaze on the small radio that was broadcasting the match. Judging by its size and its wooden texture, Kenai supposed it was an older model, but it seemed to work just fine.

His lips turned into a small smirk when he noticed that, while most of the radio was made out of wood, the two tuning knobs that adjusted the radio's volume level and frequency were made out of metal. 'Jackpot,' Kenai thought as he knew exactly what to do to distract the guards. Using his thumb and index fingers as tweezers, Kenai gently used Metalbending to control one of the radio's tuning knob, effectively changing the radio station that was currently on air.

" _It's the first match of the night, ladies and gentleman. The referee is in the middle of the ring calling for the two team captains to come together. Let's see if the Capital City Catgators have what it takes to take on th-bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…"_

"What the hell? What just happened?" one of the sentries asked out loud.

The guy next to him, who Kenai believed to be the owner of the radio, immediately went to see what was wrong with the device. "Damn it, the signal is lost!" he growled while searching for the right frequency.

"You've got to be kidding me. This old thing has been working just fine for months, and now it decides to break down?" the third and last guard said in disbelief. "Come on, hurry up and find the radio station! We're gonna miss the first match!"

"I'm trying, you moron! It's not as easy as it looks!"

Kenai immediately stepped back, turned around and began waving his hand rapidly, as if saying 'Go go go go go!'. The Avatar understood the obvious message and started climbing up the building rather easily, using windows and wooden posts to make her way to the rooftop. All of that training back in the South Pole sure came in handy in situations like these, Kenai thought with a bit of jealousy. If he ever attempted to do what Korra was doing right now, he would have to dig his own grave first.

"Ha! Found it!" The voice of one of the sentries brought Kenai back to his senses. He looked back at the scene and, indeed, the radio was back to normal. It didn't last very long, but his distraction gave Korra enough time to reach the rooftop without getting caught. She even gave Kenai a cheeky thumbs-up all the way from her spot, one that Kenai responded with a thumbs-up of his own.

Satisfied by how things went down, Kenai left his hiding place and walked up to the sentries, acting as innocent as he could in order to kill off any suspicions. "Hey guys, I was just passing by and I heard the radio was on. Mind if I join you?"

The guards were startled at first, thinking they had just been caught by a superior or, Spirits forbid, Tenzin himself. Once they realized it was just the new guy who came to the island this very same day, they released a collective 'pheeeew' and gestured him to come closer. "Sure thing. The first match has already started. It's the Capital City Catgators versus the Red Sands Rabaroos,"

The earthbender nodded and took a seat next to them, realizing how young these White Lotus sentries actually were. They didn't look like they were past their mid-twenties, which most likely explained why they were more relaxed and easy-going compared to their older officers in charge. Even if he was the Sergeant of Republic City's Police Department, Kenai didn't blame them for wanting to spend their boring nightshift listening to some Pro-bending matches instead of staring at an empty sky for hours and in silence.

The guards were even kind enough to offer him a cold drink. Kenai gladly accepted and took a long sip before paying attention to what was being transmitted; smiling at the fact that Korra was on top of the roof right over their heads as they spoke.

" _This Mako's got moxy! He advances, fires two quick shots and Yoang Mo is back to Zone 3! Can the Fire Ferrets secure this win? Seems like Hasook is trying to finish it off but he just can't quite do it. Bolin is putting pressure and- Oh! That got him good! One more step back and it's all over! Mako goes for the final shot a-!"_

Before they could hear the very last of the game, the radio shut down and the voice of the commentator faded away. All three sentries, whose names were Bonyak, Howl, and Choe Gu-sung, looked horrified, and even Kenai was dumbfounded. The match had been very intense and had everyone's utmost attention, including his. They all turned around to see Tenzin holding an unplugged cable, probably not in the brightest mood of all. The White Lotus guards paled, and as for Kenai, he just let out a meek 'Oh-ho'.

"Ma-Ma-Master Tenzin!" Howl stammered. "What a-are you doing here?"

"Korra, get down here please," Even if he wasn't shouting, Tenzin's voice sounded unmistakably strained, as if he was doing his very best to remain calm.

Doing as she was told, Korra got off the rooftop and landed inside the scene, catching everyone off guard except for Tenzin and Kenai, although the last one was feigning ignorance and acting like he didn't know what was going on. "You shut it off at the best part!" the Avatar whined.

The airbender gave Kenai a harsh look. "Kenai, did you have anything to do with this?"

Kenai almost sounded offended. "Hey, don't blame me. I have no idea what's going on… Besides, you're going to get wrinkles if you stare at people like that for too long, uncle Tenzin," he said at the end, hoping that his cheesy smile would help to get rid of the tension in the air.

It didn't.

"Korra, I thought I made myself clear. I don't want you listening to any of this distracting nonsense,"

"But it was their radio! And technically speaking, you said I couldn't watch one, you never said anything about listening to one," Korra argued.

"This means that Korra hasn't done anything wrong… technically," the earthbender said with his hands placed around the back his head. Ah, good ol' loopholes. They'll get ya out of any tough situation.

The old monk tripped on his own words, causing Kenai to hide a smirk. "Why you… That is… You know what I meant! Anyways, shouldn't you two be in bed by now?" Tenzin weakly argued before turning around and leaving the teens on their own. Korra rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at the airbender in a childish, yet amusing response. At this point, the sentries had already left, thanking the Spirits for not getting any punishment from Tenzin.

After a minute of silence or so, Kenai finally spoke up. "Well, it was fun while it lasted,"

"I guess. Man, I really wanted to hear the end of the match," Korra replied in a defeated tone of voice, but seconds later she looked at Kenai and gave him a small smile. "Thanks for helping me out back then. I owe you one,"

"Don't mention it. Besides, it's not like we broke the law or something. We just listened to the radio and had some fun. There's nothing wrong with that," Kenai said dismissively, not paying much attention. It was only after a short moment of silence when Kenai realized that Korra was still staring at him, as if she wanted to say something. "Humhm, Korra, are you alright? You look a bit… strange,"

Korra blinked and shook her head slightly, apparently snapping out of her thoughts. "Oh no, it's nothing. Well, it's just that… I guess I had you pegged the wrong way," she admitted with a bit of uneasiness in her soft voice.

The Sergeant tilted his head in confusion. "Really? How so?"

"Once I knew you were a police officer and who your mom was, I kind of assumed that you were a hard, rule-loving stiff like most of the guys I've met, with your Metalbending armor and all. But I was wrong. You're actually…"

"Fun to be around with?" Kenai guessed.

"… Yeah, I guess you are," the Avatar rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. She had never been in this kind of situation in her life, and while she wasn't weird or socially inept, she still had a bit of trouble opening up to people of her age. She could deal with kids and old masters, but being honest and sincere to someone like Kenai, a guy who she just met yesterday, was a completely new experience to her. She wanted to talk, but at the same time, she had to be careful not to say something that would make her look like an idiot. Korra suddenly found the floor to be quite interesting as she waited for what Kenai had to say.

To her relief, the earthbender chuckled. "Don't get me wrong. I do have a tough cop side of me, but that's part of my job. Just because I wear a badge doesn't mean I want people to treat me differently, the same way you don't want to be treated differently just because you're the Avatar. My profession doesn't defines who I am,"

"… I never thought about it that way," Korra spoke with a soft voice.

And seriously, who could possibly blame her? When you've spent almost all of your existence training for a full-time, life-long job that the universe assigned to you at birth, sooner or later you will end up thinking that your job is your life. The idea of having a private life aside from your public one was still a fairly new concept to the Avatar, which was why she was so eager to go and explore the possibilities that this whole new place had to offer without forgetting who she was and what was expected of her.

"Well, I'm always happy to impart my wisdom on those who need it," Kenai said with a half-smile, imitating Tenzin's calm and noble voice. "Anyways, it's late and I'm getting sleepy. You should go to bed as well, unless you want another earful from uncle Tenzin. Good night Korra,"

"Good night to you too," Korra replied as Kenai turned around and walked away, leaving the young girl alone with her thoughts. After a while, she took a deep breath and decided to go to sleep. She needed all of her strength for another fun and rewarding day of Airbending.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: A TASTE OF FREEDOM**

* * *

(Disclaimer: I don't own ALOK. I only own my OC's)

* * *

Korra's Airbending training was not going well. Not well at all.

She was trying her damn hardest to do everything Tenzin was telling her to do, from the painful gates exercise to the pointless meditation sessions. At first, she thought she would at least get better in either the physical or spiritual side of Airbending, but the only thing Korra was getting in return were bruises and long hours of sitting on her butt doing nothing, at least from her perspective.

If that wasn't enough, there was a growing tension going on between teacher and student. Korra didn't like how imposing and strict Tenzin was and she was becoming slightly more defiant and rude towards the monk. Tenzin, on the other hand, wasn't used to teach someone like Korra, whose attitude and lack of discipline was getting on his nerves every passing day.

Kenai could see all of this, and he feared what could happen if something wasn't done. He tried to cheer Korra up every time she was frustrated, but he knew that wasn't enough to help her. Kenai even asked his godfather to give Korra a day off so that she could explore Republic City with him, but Tenzin flat out refused his request, stating that what Korra needed right now was patience, not distractions. It came to the point where Kenai accidentally let his tongue slip and said: _"For someone who's trying to teach the Avatar the element of freedom, you sure don't give her a lot of that,"_ After realizing what he just said, the earthbender promptly apologized and left before they could get into an argument.

'It's like I can't help her without annoying uncle Tenzin,' Kenai thought as he took off his pants and put on his tank top, ready to go to sleep. 'I don't want to be on their bad side, but if things keep up the way they are going, I'm gonna have to intervene and I don't know what could happen then,'

He opened the window of his room to get some fresh air, and as soon as he did that, his eyes picked up on something… or rather, someone. 'Who's that over there?' he asked himself as he saw an individual approaching a rocky cliff of the island. Despite the darkness of the night, Kenai managed to recognize the waist pelt said the individual was wearing. 'Wait… Is that Korra?' Yes, yes she was. 'What is she doing out there? And why is she running towards the cliff? No, please don't jump. Please don't ju… Ooohhhh boy, she jumped,'

Kenai let out a loud groan as he saw Korra throwing herself into the ocean like a bomb, making use of her Waterbending skills to make a safe landing. You didn't have to be a genius to figure out Korra wasn't going for a late night swim. There was a certain building in Republic City that was looking particularly shiny tonight, rocking hundreds of different lights. That building happened to be none other than the Pro-bending Arena.

"I'm going to need a boat," Kenai muttered to himself as he closed his window and started looking for his Metalbending armor.

* * *

|Pro-bending Arena|

Reaching the Pro-bending Arena took Kenai longer than expected. He had to find a motorboat, cross the ocean, find the harbor, pay for a spot to keep his vehicle, and then walk the distance between the harbor and the Arena.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait in line to get inside. All he had to do was to find an employee working outside, claim he was there under his superiors' orders and that he needed to enter the Arena, give the man a couple of yuans for his cooperation and go inside using the back door.

Finding Korra was a pain. There were hundreds and hundreds of spectators and it was hard to focus on one person when you had so many people moving and shouting. Kenai highly doubted that Korra had actually paid for her ticket, and assumed she had found a way in through other means.

Thanks to his Metalbending armor and his officer plaque, none of the people working there tried to stop him from going into several restricted areas. Some may think Kenai was abusing his authority, but he just saw it as a small perk he deserved for being an officer in the Police Department. 'Besides, it's not like I'm trying to watch the games from the VIP area, I just want to find Korra and get out of here,' he assured himself.

He was casually going around the Arena when he stumbled upon the gym used by Pro-bending athletes. There was an old man cleaning the place with a scornful look. "Damn teenagers, always getting away with everything. No respect these days. That girl thought I was dumb enough to buy her excuse, ha! Next time I'm gonna call security, see how much she likes it,"

Kenai froze. Knowing Korra, she most likely went to explore the Arena and ended up somewhere she wasn't supposed to be. He had to be sure it was her. "Excuse me, sir. Can I have a word with you?" Kenai said as he approached the grumpy old man, who didn't seem to trust him that much judging by the look on his face.

"Who are ya'?"

"I'm Sergeant Beifong from Republic City's Police Department. I was just passing by when I overheard you rambling about a girl wondering around these areas without proper authorization,"

The old man spat on the floor and raised an eyebrow. "Aye, what of it? Ye' going to arrest her or somethin'?"

Kenai stood up straight and gave the man a look of steel. "As a member of the Police Department, I won't allow anyone to break the rules of this fine establishment while I'm here. If you could please describe the offender to me and her possible whereabouts, I'll make sure to find her and kick her out of the Arena for illegal trespassing,"

After half a minute of silence, the old man gave Kenai a crooked smirk. "Heh, finally some youth that's worth a yuan. She looked like she was around seventeen or eighteen. Definitely Water Tribe with all her blue clothes and all,"

'Yup, that's Korra alright,' Kenai thought. "Do you happen to know her name? Any ideas about where she might be?"

"Nah, don't know the name. I was about to call security when I found her here, but then that impudent brat Bolin came in, saying she was with him or somethin'. They took off like two Eel Hounds and that was the end of it,"

The earthbender narrowed his eyes. Bolin? That name actually rang a bell. He didn't know anyone named Bolin, but he was sure he had heard the name somewhere. Bolin… Bolin… Bolin… "You mean Bolin from the Fire Ferrets?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Not the smartest lad around the block, let me tell ya'. He probably invited the girl over to his team's locker room, that's what all these lousy punks do with their fans. Locker rooms are just above us in the second level, can't miss em',"

"Thank you very much, sir," Kenai said as he turned around and left the gym. "I'll teach that girl no one's above the law,"

000

|Fire Ferrets locker room|

"Woo-hooh! That's what I'm talking about! One more match and the Fire Ferrets are in the tournament!" Bolin cheered as he walked up to Korra. "So, what do you think? Bolin's got moves, huh?"

"What did I think? What did I think!? That was amazing!" Korra shouted as she grabbed Bolin by the collar just to push him back, feeling absolutely thrilled by what she just witnessed.

"You did us more harm than good out there, Hasook. You almost cost us the match," Mako said as he took off his helmet, casting a reproachful look upon his teammate.

"Whatever. We won, didn't we?" Hasook replied.

"Barely, and not thanks to you,"

Hasook simply threw his helmet away in frustration. "Get off my case, pal," he said before leaving the locker room like a real baby.

Mako shook his head in annoyance. "Useless," the firebender muttered.

"I gotta say you two were amazing back there," Korra said cheerfully, before pointing her fingers at Mako. "Specially you, Mister Hat-trick,"

"Oh, you're still here?" Mako asked, not even bothering to look at her.

"… Oh, you're still a jerk?" Korra shot back, irked by the firebender's lack of manners. "Anyways, I've been immersed in bending my entire life, but I've never learned how to move like that. It was like a whole new bending style. Think you can show me a couple of tricks?" she asked Bolin, who nodded enthusiastically.

"Absolutely! I mean, I don't know how my Earthbending will translate to your Waterbending, but I'm sure we can figure something out,"

Korra smiled smugly. "Won't be a problem. I'm actually an earthbender,"

"… Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to assume," Bolin began to apologize, clearly taken by surprise. "I was just figuring... with your Water Tribe get-up... that you are a Water Tribe... gal,"

"Nope, you're right. I'm a waterbender too, and I'm also a pretty good firebender,"

Bolin rubbed his chin. "Hmmmmmm… Nope, I have no idea what's going on," he admitted.

"You're the Avatar... and I'm an idiot," Mako said in his place.

"Both are true," Korra commented with a huge sassy smirk on her face, glad to get a little payback from his rude behavior before.

"Really? You wanna know what else is true?"

The Avatar almost had a heart-attack as her whole body froze like a marble statue. In a very robotic fashion, she slowly looked over her shoulder, and she gulped when her fears became true. Kenai was standing in the entrance with his arms crossed, looking severely annoyed. He was wearing his Metalbending armor, which made him look even scarier. "Kenai… Heeey," she started to say with the most awkward smile you can imagine. "You came here to watch the games as well?"

"I had to use a motorboat to get here. I guess Waterbending sure comes in handy when you have to swim long distances, huh?" This was the first time Korra was seeing Kenai upset, and he certainly looked different. Those green eyes of his were glaring at her while his facial features now seemed to be made out of steel. For someone who had yet to turn twenty, Kenai looked pretty darn intimidating. After all, he was the son of Lin Beifong, a woman capable of making a grown man soil his pants with nothing but her soul-piercing glare.

"Hey Korra, why do you have a police officer looking for you?" Bolin asked, who also started to feel a little uncomfortable by Kenai's presence.

"His name is Kenai," Korra answered quickly. "You don't have to worry about him. He's a friend of mine who also happens to be something like my guardian,"

"You might as well add 'glorified babysitter' while you're at it," Kenai said. There was absolutely no trace of humor to be found in his voice.

"Kenai, I…" Korra started to say, struggling to find the adequate words she so desperately needed right now. "… Look, I'm really sorry. I know I shouldn't have left the island just like that, but… I just really wanted to see a Pro-bending match and I knew neither Tenzin nor you would agree to let me go, so my only chance was to… I'm sorry, okay?"

The earthbender let out a tired sigh and began rubbing one of his temples. This girl was a real piece of work. "Korra, I don't think you understand what my job is. If I wanted you to stay put in one place, I would've sent you back to the South Pole and let the White Lotus take care of you. I don't mind if you want to see a Pro-bending game. Heck, I'm all for it. But you can't just escape from the island like that without telling me where you're going first. If you want to go somewhere, tell me and I'll be happy to tag along. I'm supposed to look after you, not chase after you,"

"Wait, so you actually don't have a problem with me going to see Pro-bending matches!?" Korra asked as her eyes widened like dinner plates.

"That's what I just said. As long as you let me know beforehand, we can visit Republic City every once in a whi-Ooofff!" Before the Sergeant could finish his sentence, Korra pretty much threw herself at Kenai in an incoming hug that nearly caused him to fall down.

"Woo-hoo! Thanks Kenai, you're the coolest guy ever!" the Avatar shouted, still attached to Kenai. The earthbender developed a faint blush on his cheeks, not quite used to having a beautiful girl pressing her body against his. It was even more embarrassing considering how there were two strangers watching them.

Despite enjoying being hugged by Korra, Kenai had to place his hands on her waist and slightly push her back a little. Otherwise his neck would suffer some serious damage. "Okay, okay, let's tone it down a bit… But you're right, I'm definitely the coolest guy ever," Kenai said as the hug came to an end. "Now, about those Pro-bending moves…"

000

|Training room|

"So, you're friends with the Avatar," Mako said to Kenai. Both men were sitting on a bench watching Bolin explain some modern Earthbending moves to Korra, which unsurprisingly for Kenai she picked them up with ease.

"Yeah, we're living together in the Air Temple for the time being," Kenai replied.

Mako raised an eyebrow. "So how did someone like you ended up becoming the Avatar's bodyguard?"

"Someone like me? What do you mean by that?"

"You know what I'm talking about. Sergeant Beifong, poster boy for Republic City's Police Department. I thought you were supposed to be out there catching bad guys and throwing them in jail or something,"

Kenai let out a dry chuckle. "That's what everyone thinks. Being a Sergeant isn't just about catching bad guys. I wish it was that simple, but there's a lot of work that goes unnoticed by the general public. And trust me, keeping an eye on Korra beats doing paperwork any day,"

The firebender nodded in understanding. He then looked at Korra, who was unleashing an Earthbending combo with two discs that were thrown into the net. "Not bad,"

Korra glared at him. "Honestly, what does it takes to impress this guy?"

"What? I said not bad," Mako defended himself.

"Don't sweat it Korra," Kenai started to say. "I believe our friend Mako here is simply a man of few words,"

Mako closed his eyes and smirked. "Good to know somebody understands me. Anyways, I'm turning in. You kids have fun. A pleasure to meet you, Avatar Korra, Sergeant Beifong,"

"Yeah, a real pleasure," Korra muttered.

"See you around Mako," Kenai decided to say goodbye on his own behalf as well as Korra's.

"I'll be waiting for you upstairs Bo,"

The Avatar blinked in confusion. "Upstairs? What does he mean by that? You guys live here?"

"Yup, in the attic," Bolin replied with a big smile on his face. "It's nothing fancy, but we have some great views. So, back to bending, why don't you try that combo one more time?"

* * *

(Air Temple, two days later)

Kenai was in the dining room enjoying the leftovers from today's breakfast. Since he wasn't an acolyte or a White Lotus guard, he was under no obligation to get up as early as everyone else did, but that also meant he had no other choice but to eat whatever food was left. More hours of sleep, less food to eat. It was as simple as that.

After devouring the last piece of bread on the table, the earthbender got up and went outside to search for Korra, who was attending her Airbending lessons. Although the Avatar's mood had greatly improved since her little escapade two days ago, it all went back to normal after not being able to deal with the spinning gates exercise. Kenai wondered how much patience she had left, especially considering how hot-headed and impulsive Korra was.

'Still, I shouldn't judge her just like that,' Kenai thought. 'Who knows? Maybe she's gotten a little better at it and I haven't noticed it yet,'

Once he reached the training grounds, Kenai realized how badly mistaken he was. He came in just in time to see Korra burn the spinning gates in a fit of rage while Tenzin gasped in horror. The son of Lin Beifong had never seen Korra so angry before, and for a couple of seconds, he expected the girl to go on a rampage, but luckily she just stood there gasping for breath. Most of the gates turned to ashes, and the few remaining ones were beyond repair.

"That was a two thousand year-old historical treasure. What... What is wrong with you!" Tenzin shouted, losing his calm and collected demeanor that he tried his best to maintain.

"There's nothing wrong with me! I've been practicing just like you told me but it isn't sinking in, okay?! It hasn't clicked like you said it would!" was Korra's response to Tenzin.

"Korra, this isn't something you can force. If you would only listen to me-"

"I have been! But you know what I think? Maybe the problem isn't me. Maybe the reason I haven't been able to learn Airbending is because YOU are a terrible teacher!" Korra interrupted him before storming out of the training grounds. She was so frustrated she could care less about the whole 'respecting your elders' stuff. Jinora and Ikki went to comfort their father while Meelo started freaking out and running around the place.

This was exactly what Kenai was expecting to happen. Korra's relationship with Tenzin had now officially reached a breaking point, and there was no way to know if they would ever get back to be on friendly terms again. Shaking his head in disappointment, Kenai left the scene without being noticed and started looking for Korra. The girl needed clearly needed help, or at least someone to shout at. While being a psychiatrist and checking Korra's emotional state wasn't part of his assignment, Kenai though the least he could do was to talk to her and offer his hand if she needed something.

He just hoped that Korra wouldn't turn him into ashes like she did with the spinning gates. Considering how pissed off she was, Kenai had to be ready for everything.

Luckily, finding Korra wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. He caught sight of her walking out of her guesthouse, wearing her normal outfit and still looking quite angry. The Avatar approached a small fountain of water and used some of it to wash her face, trying to calm herself down. Kenai saw the opportunity and went for it.

'Spirits, please don't let her kill me,' he pleaded to the skies as he walked towards Korra, who had yet to notice him. "Hey Korra, how's it going?"

Korra turned around and saw Kenai coming closer to her. "Go away, I don't want to talk right now," the Avatar said in a threatening way, her face still dripping.

"And I can understand why, but please just hear me out, okay?" Kenai asked as he slowly got closer to her while keeping a safe distance. "I saw what happened back there. Look, I'm not here to judge you or anything like that. I just want to know how you're feeling,"

"Oh, you want to know how I'm feeling? Do you really want to know?" Korra said in a sarcastic way. "Well, I'm feeling fantastic! I've never been better! I came here to finally learn Airbending, and after one week the only thing I've learned is how to get beat up by a bunch of stupid doors!"

Kenai gulped. This was going to be harder than what he anticipated. "I'm not gonna comment on that. And I'm not an airbender so I can't really help you with your lessons. What I can do, however, is try and make you feel better,"

The Avatar, although less irrational and furious than before, still looked quite irritated. "And how are you going to do that, huh? I swear to the Spirits, if this is some sort of silly prank, I'll kick your lower back so hard you won't be able to sit down for a year," she warned.

'I believe you,' Kenai thought. "Anyhow, you have to find a way to release your anger and let out all your frustration. What you need… is a therapy session,"

"… A therapy session?"

"Yup. But not just a normal therapy session. I'm talking about a Beifong-style therapy session," the earthbender proclaimed while pointing his index finger at the sky for clarification.

Luckily for Kenai, his exotic proposal managed to turn Korra's anger into curiosity with a little bit of suspiciousness added into the mix, which was definitely an improvement. He could deal with a confused Avatar, but nor an irate one. "I don't know what's that supposed to be, but it doesn't sound like something I want to try out,"

"That's because you don't know how a Beifong therapy session goes. I can assure you, its supper effective," Kenai said before his face developed a little more serious expression. "You remember who my mom is, right? Whenever she's angry for whatever reason, she pretty much interrupts my work and forces me to have a therapy session with her. I know what I'm talking about here,"

"This is making less sense by the second," Korra stated. "How does this Beifong therapy thing works anyway?"

Kenai gave her an apologetic look. "If I explain it to you here and now, it would kind of lose its purpose. Just follow me for a while and you'll see what I mean. Trust me, you're gonna thank me once we're done. So, what do you say?"

…

000

Somehow, Korra agreed to follow Kenai and, after fifteen minutes of walking around the island, the two teens found themselves in an isolated area surrounded by rocks and stones of different sizes. The place was located near the edge of the island, not too far away from the main tower.

Kenai discovered this particular area a long time ago when he was only six years of age. Like the snot-nosed brat that he was, Kenai managed to get lost while exploring the Air Temple for the first time. Upon realizing he had no idea where he was, Kenai got very scared and began to cry, but then he remembered the stories of his grandmother Toph and how she once got lost in a cave. It was in that cave where she learned Earthbending by imitating the Badgermoles, who were blind just like her.

In that moment, Kenai decided to stop crying and followed his grandmother's example. With the use of his limited Earthbending skills, Kenai rearranged his surroundings until he ended up with a playground of sorts, crafting several sculptures and doodles out of small rocks. His artistic creations were far from being the result of a young prodigy at work, but that was beside the point. Thanks to his Earthbending, Kenai remained calm until Tenzin and a few other acolytes found him before they had to call his parents. The young earthbender apologized to Tenzin and promised him that he would never explore the island on his own ever again, but as time went by, he would often return to his own private playground whenever he felt angry, bored, or maybe just in the need for privacy.

"Alright, here we are. What's next?" Korra asked out loud as she looked around, not really sure what to make of the place Kenai led her to. It didn't seem special at all.

"Thought you'd never ask," Kenai said with a smirk as he went adopted a fighting stance. "Now we can finally have a Beifong therapy session. A friendly one-on-one using only Earthbending. Last earthbender standing wins. Sounds good?"

Korra blinked. "You mean a sparring match? We came all the way here just to have a sparring match? That's what a Beifong therapy session actually is?"

"Yup, pretty much. Whaddya say? Ready to go a few rounds?" Kenai asked with a confident look on his face, although deep down he was starting to get second thoughts. Picking up a fight against the Avatar probably wasn't such a good idea, even if it was only a friendly spar. 'Well, it's not like I can turn back now. I might as well do my best. I just need to reel her in a little bit…' "Unless you're a Possum Chicken, that is,"

A twisted, almost sadistic smile grew on Korra's face as she cracked her knuckles. "A Possum Chicken, you say? We'll just see about that. You better be ready, Sergeant Hotshot, because I'm not gonna hold back,"

'Yeah, I'm dead…'

000

"… Now that… was… intense…" Kenai said between gasps as he sat on the ground, sweating like a Polar Bear Dog in the Si Wong Desert.

After twenty minutes of kicking the ground and punching rocks at each other, it was Korra the one who came out on top of their sparring match. She didn't knock out Kenai or anything like that (although she came dangerously close to doing so in several occasions), but she was clearly the winner due to the fact that she dominated pretty much all of the fight. The only reason why they both had to call it quits was because they were causing major damage to their surroundings, which could potentially deteriorate the infrastructure of the temple nearby.

Korra's fighting abilities were everything Kenai expected out of an Avatar, perhaps even more. The girl was physically stronger than him, faster than him, more agile than him, didn't seem to run out of stamina, and she was every bit as resilient as he was. Her Earthbending technique was impeccable, and it certainly suited her personality: Strong, direct, overpowering moves that could crush the back of a Lion Turtle. What scared Kenai the most was how dangerous Korra was using Earthbending alone. Had she combined Firebending or Waterbending during their match, things would've gone a lot worse for him.

Although to be fair, Kenai was at a disadvantage to begin with. While he was a good earthbender by all standards, his true fortitude was Metalbending, which he wasn't allowed to use due to the nature and the rules of the sparring match. By combining the range, density, and flexibility of his shooting cables, Kenai came up with an unorthodox and lethal Metalbending fighting style that he used to defend himself against members of bending gangs and Equalist agents.

"I second that," Korra replied as she helped Kenai to stand up. She was also breathing heavily and had a few drops of sweat running down her face, although the earthbender was definitely more exhausted than her. "I've gotta admit, you're tougher than I expected. Not even my Earthbending tutors from the White Lotus have managed to last this long against me,"

'Wow, how humble of you,' Kenai thought in amusement. "Thanks, you're not half-bad yourself. Now you know what a Beifong therapy session is. Did it work?"

"… Actually, it did," the Avatar admitted after a while. She was no longer feeling angry or frustrated, or at least not nearly as much as she did after her Airbending lesson went horribly wrong. Smashing rocks with her bare hands and feet turned out to be one heck of a stress-reliever. "I bet your mom is glad to have you around,"

Kenai chuckled. "You don't know half of it. I don't get paid nearly enough to be her personal punching bag. Anyways, since we're already here and there's no one else watching us, this is the perfect chance to give you a little comfort gift that might help you take your mind off of Airbending," he said before placing his hand inside his pocket and taking out two small orange tickets. "I heard the Fire Ferrets are playing tonight. Wanna go see them?"

A huge grin slowly took over the Avatar's face.

* * *

|Pro-bending Arena at night|

After sneaking out of the Air Temple and finding a boat that could carry both of them, Korra and Kenai managed to arrive at Yue Bay safe and sound. Kenai was constantly looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was following them. After handing out their pre-paid tickets to the guy working at the entrance of the stadium, they were allowed to enter. Once they were inside, they carefully made their way to the locker rooms to catch up with Mako and Bolin and wish them good luck.

When they stepped inside the Fire Ferrets' locker room, they found Mako and Bolin sitting on a bench looking like kids who didn't get any gifts for their birthdays. "We didn't miss your match, did we?" Korra asked, wondering why the brothers had such long faces. "You guys look like you already lost,"

Bolin sighed. "We might as well have,"

"Hasook left the team. He's a no good no show," Mako added bitterly.

Suddenly, one of the tournament administrators opened the door and looked at the incomplete Pro-bending team. "This is your last warning. You got two minutes to come out ready to play or you're disqualified," he said before leaving.

"Well, there goes our shot to the tournament and the winnings," Bolin said while staring at the ground in utter disappointment.

"Can't you ask one of those guys to take Hasook's place?" Korra asked while pointing to another team who just returned from their game.

"Nah, the rules say you can only compete in one team,"

Kenai couldn't help but feel sorry for the brothers. He recognized their hard work and the struggle they had to face every day. Now, all of that seemed to be in vain thanks to a loser that gave up on them in the middle of the race. He would gladly try to fill in and replace Hasook, but he was an earthbender, not a waterbender. Waterbending seemed to be Korra's thing.

Wait, Korra's thing?

Of course!

"How about you, Korra?" Kenai asked the Avatar.

"Hey, you're right! How about me? I'm a top-notch waterbender if I do say so myself," Korra proposed. This whole thing was certainly unexpected, but in a good way. One day you're watching the Fire Ferrets play and all of a sudden you become part of their team? Talk about... well... unexpected.

Bolin seemed to be a tad bit unsure. "But, you're the Avatar. Isn't that cheating?"

"Not if she only uses Waterbending. As far as I know, there's no rule that prevents the Avatar from participating," Kenai pointed out.

"Exactly," Korra said smiling at Kenai, who in return smiled back.

However, the good vibes were gone the moment Mako opened his mouth. "No way. I'd rather forfeit than look like a fool out there,"

"Sorry buddy, but right now your only chance to win the tournament relies on Korra," Kenai said while glaring at the firebender. Talk about biting the hand that offers you food. "You're worried that you'll look like a fool out there playing alongside her? No offense, but in the eyes of the spectators, you'll look like a bigger fool if you don't show up at all. That's just the way it is,"

Before Mako could argue (which wasn't going to happen since there were hardly any flaws in Kenai's logic), the same administrator from before interrupted his answer. "Time's up. You're in or out?"

"We're/ They're in," both Korra and Kenai said in unison.

"We are?" Mako asked.

"Yes!" Bolin exclaimed.

"Hey, I didn't agree to this!" the firebender protested, trying to put an end to all the nonsense going around. His attempt, however, was thoroughly ignored.

"You can thank me later," was Korra's only response before changing into her uniform.

Mako simply couldn't believe his luck. First, Hasook abandoned the team, and now he was forced to stick with Korra in order to compete? "This girl is crazy,"

Kenai smirked in amusement. "Trust me Mako, you haven't seen anything yet,"

000

'… You'd think someone who's that passionate about Pro-bending would actually know the rules of the game,' Kenai thought in embarrassment.

As soon as the match started, it became evident that Korra didn't know what she was doing. She committed silly mistakes that left Mako, Bolin, the referee, the opposite team, and the spectators wondering if she was messing around. Instead of pushing her opponents back, she used her Waterbending to knock one of the Platypus Bears over the sides of the field, which penalized the Fire Ferrets and forced them to move back to Zone 2.

Things got even worse for the Fire Ferrets when Korra accidentally stepped over the line of their designated area, which once again penalized the Fire Ferrets. The Platypus Bears won the first round pretty much by doing nothing.

Kenai could literally feel Mako's frustration all the way from his spot.

Round 2 started off a little better. Korra made sure not to knock people over the sides of the field and paid close attention to where she was standing. However, it didn't last very long. The Platypus Bears immediately picked up on Korra's utter lack of experience and focused their attention and energy on her while keeping Mako and Bolin at bay. She tried her best to stick to Waterbending but the amount of attacks coming her way was overwhelming, and during a moment of weakness, she accidentally defended herself from a stream of water by using Earthbending to place two discs in front of her. The stream of water destroyed the discs upon impact while Korra was left unharmed.

This, of course, exposed her as the Avatar.

The Platypus Bears stopped moving. The crowd went dead silent. It took Korra a while to realize what had just happened, and when she did, she involuntarily looked over her shoulder and saw Kenai gawking in horror.

"That's a foul! I... think?" the referee had no idea what to make out of the situation.

Kenai slapped his forehead. "Korra, you freaking idiot," he muttered, fearing for what was going to come out of this.

First of all, the mainstream media was going to have a field day exploding this event. The Avatar joining the Fire Ferrets and competing for the Pro-bending championship? If that wasn't worth the cover of the newspaper, then nothing was.

Second of all, Tenzin was going to be furious, both at Korra for disobeying his orders and at him for encouraging her behavior. If the relationship between Korra and Tenzin wasn't already shattered to pieces, it sure as hell was now. The airbender could very well punish Korra and send her back to the South Pole with the White Lotus.

After a while, the judges decided not to punish Korra. There was no rule that prevented players from bending more than one element because… well, unless you were the Avatar, that was not going to happen. The judges couldn't really penalize a player for not following a rule that never existed in the first place. However, they told Korra to stick to Waterbending from now on and that she was not allowed to use either Firebending or Earthbending. Doing so would be considered a violation and she would be removed from the match.

Unfortunately, Korra was knocked out of the ring and thrown to the water pit shortly after. Kenai's heart skipped a beat when he saw Tenzin standing right in front of Korra. He left the locker room as fast as he could, shouting a few obscenities along the way.

000

|Korra and Tenzin|

"Tenzin!" Kenai shouted as he finally caught up to them. The airbender and the Avatar were engaging in a rather heated argument, and despite how much he didn't want to get involved with them right now, he knew he had to be there and deal with his godfather.

Tenzin turned around and gave him a glare. "Kenai, are you also part of this nonsense?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? She's not doing anything wrong and you know it. I get that you don't like Pro-bending matches and all, but-"

"But nothing! The two of you are going back to the island right now, and that's final," Tenzin said in an irritated tone.

"Why? So I can go back to meditate on how bad I am at Airbending?" Korra said even more irritated than the son of Aang. "You know, I'm beginning to think there's a reason I haven't been able to learn it. Because maybe I don't even need it!"

Kenai flinched upon hearing those words. Even he knew that was kind of absurd.

"What? That is a ludicrous statement! The Avatar needs to learn Airbending, it is not optional!" Tenzin all but roared.

"Okay guys, how about we take it easy for a minute?" Kenai suggested in a soothing tone. "I'm sure we can act like adults and talk about this once-"

"Not now Kenai!" both Tenzin and Korra shouted at him at the same time.

Korra faced Tenzin once again. "This is what I need! Modern styles of fighting!"

"Being the Avatar isn't just about fighting, Korra! When will you learn that?"

The Water Tribe girl merely turned her back on Tenzin and walked up to the elevator. "I don't care. I have a match to win," she said before the elevator went up. The airbender shook his head in disapproval and began his way to the nearest exit, with Kenai following him from behind.

"Where are you going, uncle?" Kenai asked, although the answer was fairly obvious.

"To the Air Temple, where I shall inform the White Lotus about Korra's unruly behavior and her lack of cooperation. I'm afraid I have no choice but to request more sentries and have them watch over Korra constantly until further notice,"

"Why? How is that supposed to help her Airbending training?"

"This is not about her Airbending, it is about her attitude. I cannot teach her if she isn't willing to listen to me,"

Kenai crossed his arms and gave the airbender a reproachful look. "The same thing goes for you too. Have you, by any chance, listened to what she has to say? Because I have, but I can't teach her Airbending. You're the only one who can teach her, but unless you're willing to hear Korra out, you might as well waste your time talking to a wall,"

Tenzin's facial features hardened. "I very much doubt Pro-bending will teach Korra the fundamentals of Airbending, or anything of value for that matter. This madness has gone far enough. She's disobedient, she has no patience, she has no respect for-"

"Uncle, I'm not saying she's perfect," Kenai cut him off. "Trust me, I know Korra can be a pain in the a… I mean, I know she's not the easiest person to get along with at times, but she does respect you and she does care for what you have to say about her. You can pack Air Temple Island with sentries if you want, but it won't make a difference… Just have a little faith in her, alright?"

At first, Kenai's words didn't seem to reach Tenzin. But then, he let out a long sigh and his angry face faded away. "Let's just go upstairs,' Tenzin said with little energy.

The earthbender smiled slightly. He knew Tenzin genuinely cared about Korra's wellbeing and wished nothing but the best for her. Tenzin just wasn't used to deal with people like Korra and didn't know what to do with her. Luckily for him, he had Kenai at his side, and the boy did everything he could to help both him and Korra.

Once they reached the upper level, they were greeted by a discouraging sight. The Platypus Bears had Mako and Bolin against the ropes while Korra was near the edge of the ring, struggling just to stay on her feet as earth, water, and fire came her way.

It all seemed lost… But then, Korra started to move around the place dodging every attack that was coming to her. But the thing that impressed both Tenzin and Kenai the most was the way she moved. She was so light on her feet and looked so calm yet focused at the same time, it was like watching an airbender in motion. Her body was twirling around and rotating like there was no tomorrow.

"I do not believe my eyes," Tenzin whispered.

Kenai was fairly surprised himself. "Just look at her go. It's amazing,"

The Platypus Bears tried their hardest to knock Korra off the ring, but their efforts to land a hit on the Avatar were fruitless. Soon enough, they ran out of stamina and became easy targets for Mako and Bolin, who still had plenty of juice left. The Fire Ferrets charged at full strength and quickly pushed the Platypus Bears off the ring, winning the match by knockout and securing their spot in the tournament.

"Woo-hoo!" Tenzin cheered while pointing his index fingers at them. Kenai wasn't expecting the airbender's sudden outburst of happiness, but he was so excited himself that he didn't even bother to make fun of his godfather. 'I'm just gonna pretend like I didn't see that,' he thought as he clapped vigorously.

* * *

|Air Temple at night|

"Tenzin, I'm really sorry for everything I said. I was really frustrated with myself and I took it out on you. It wasn't fair and I shouldn't have done it," Korra said to her Airbending teacher. They were at the training grounds with Kenai, who was helping with the replacement of the spinning gates.

"I believe I owe you an apology as well. I was trying to teach you about patience, but I ended up losing mine,"

Korra looked at Tenzin and smiled hopefully. "No hard feelings?"

"Of course not," Tenzin said with a smile of his own. "By the way, you really looked good out there tonight. You moved just like an airbender,"

"Wait, you… You actually staid and watch?"

"Indeed, I did. Despite my aversion towards it, Pro-bending turned out to be a magnificent tool for you to practice Airbending,"

Kenai cleared his throat loud enough to gain their attention. "Speaking about Pro-bending…" he said while staring at Korra with a look that said 'Aren't you forgetting something?'.

"Oh, that's right. I also sort of joined the Fire Ferrets for good and now I have Pro-bending practice tomorrow morning," the Avatar said with an apologetic look and a cheeky smile. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna miss any of our Airbending lessons. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

What was he supposed to say? Tenzin merely sighed and reluctantly shook his head, indicating that he was 'fine' with her decision to join the team. It's not like he could stop her, anyways.

"Great! I'll see you tomorrow right after Pro-bending practice. I promise I won't be late," Korra said with a broad smile on her face.

Kenai's lips slowly curled into a soft smirk. Seeing Korra happy and motivated like that brought a warm feeling to his heart. It all worked out in the end. Korra made peace with Tenzin and joined the Fire Ferrets, even if achieving both things sounded contradictory and kind of impossible. Then again, Korra was the Avatar, someone supposed to make impossible things possible. Kenai knew he made the right decision when he convinced his godfather to allow Korra to stay in Republic City, and he felt very lucky to be there with Korra and witness all the changes she brought along.

Once the two teens wished Tenzin goodnight, they walked together around the island and made some small talk as they reached Korra's guesthouse. Kenai congratulated her for her performance back in the Pro-bending Arena and asked questions like 'how did you feel when you started moving like that?' or 'when will the Fire Ferrets play again?'. Their conversation seemingly came to an end once they got to Korra's place, where several White Lotus sentries were making their rounds.

"Well, I guess I should get going now. You have your first practice tomorrow, which means that I have to go too. See you in the morning, Korra," Kenai said as he waved Korra goodbye and began to walk way.

"… Kenai, wait," Korra suddenly spoke up, to which Kenai turned around. "I need to ask you something,"

The earthbender gave her an attentive look. "Yeah, what is it?"

"Why are you like this to me?" Korra asked.

"Like this? What do you mean like this?"

"I mean like you seem to care about me, and not just because of your job. You've done all these things like checking up on me when I was angry and helping me to go to a Pro-bending match knowing that Tenzin wasn't going to be happy with it. We don't even know each other that much, and yet you still go the extra mile for me… Why?"

Kenai remained silent for a minute. He wasn't expecting that question at all. It was something he had yet to ask himself. What was it about Korra that appealed to him? Was it her confident yet naïve attitude? Was it her dazzling smile and those beautiful blue eyes? Kenai wasn't so sure, and he began to wonder if his attention towards Korra came from something other than his curiosity. Something… deeper than that.

"I'm not gonna lie to you, Korra. When I first heard you were in town, I just wanted to see what was the Avatar like, because after all, who wouldn't want to meet the Avatar in the flesh? But then I started to learn who you really were. It's true that we don't know each other that much, but what I do know about you is that everywhere you go, something interesting happens, and for the most part I enjoy being there when it does," Kenai said from the bottom of his heart, pouring all of his honesty into his answer. He then let out a nervous smile and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I like spending time with you. You're special Korra, and I'm not saying that because you're the Avatar, but because you're… well, you,"

All of a sudden, Korra felt like she was running out of breath. She had this huge hole inside her stomach, and her cheeks began to burn. Korra couldn't remember the last time she felt this way, or if she had ever felt this way at all. It was like experiencing joy, anxiety, and embarrassment all at the same time. Even her knees seemed to grow weaker for some reason.

Kenai noticed how silent Korra was (as well as how her face was sporting an interesting shade of red) and started to get worried. "Korra, are you okay? You look a little… odd,"

"I-It's nothing!" Korra nearly shouted out of panic, not wanting Kenai to see her all flustered like that. "I'm just excited for t-tomorrow's practice, that's all! I'll see you in the morning!" Before Kenai had time to answer, Korra was already running away. She entered the guest house and slammed the door closed, leaving a clueless Kenai behind.

"Okay… That was weird,"

000

Unbeknownst to him, a certain girl from the Southern Water Tribe was in her room staring at the moon with a dreamy look on her face. She was thinking about all the things that took place in the last few hours and all the things that were to come.

Some of her thoughts revolved around a certain earthbender around her age who was also staying in the island.

* * *

Aaaaaaaand that's chapter 3.

I'm aware there hasn't been a lot of action so far. But don't worry, I can assure you the next chapter will be different.

By the way, I know I said Sozu was going to make an appearance soon, but after some thought, I've decided not to include Sozu in this story. You already have Naga and Pabu, so really it's kind of pointless to have an extra pet. Sorry about that.

In case you're wondering, Kenai's Metalbending armor is pretty much a male version of Lin's armor, give or take a few minor details. The standard Metalbending armor worn by the rest of the Police Force looks kind of dull to me.

Anyways, that about does it for now. I'll soon start working on chapter 4.

Review, Favorite & Follow

Peace


	4. Chapter 4 (part 1)

**CHAPTER 4: CONFRONTING REVELATIONS (PART 1)**

* * *

(Disclaimer: I don't own A:LOK. I only own my OC's)

* * *

|Pro-bending Arena, training room|

"What's the big idea with making us train this early in the morning? The morning is evil," Korra whined as she tossed a weighted ball to Bolin.

The Fire Ferrets were doing their practice routine as usual. Now that Korra was part of the team, she had to put in extra effort to keep up with Mako and Bolin. The tournament was only a couple of days away, and even though Korra was proving herself to be a natural Pro-bending athlete, she was still unexperienced.

Kenai was sleeping on one of the benches with an open newspaper over his face. Just because he had to join Korra's morning practices didn't mean he had to be awake while they took place, right?

"Yeah well, we're the rookies so we get the worst time slots in the gym," Bolin answered.

"And you're the rookiest of us all. We've got to get you up to speed if we wanna' survive in the tournament. Deal with it," Mako said as he threw the ball to Korra unnecessarily hard. However, she was able to catch it.

"You deal with it!" Korra snapped as she threw the ball back to Mako with enough strength to send him to the ground. The sound of Mako hitting the floor woke Kenai up as the newspaper slid away from his face, revealing a sleepy earthbender with groggy eyes and a little bit of drool running down the left corner of his mouth.

"Ah, there are my little hard working street urchins," a man in his forties wearing a fancy suit and a fedora came up and approached the Fire Ferrets. He then placed his hand on Korra's shoulder. "It's an honor to finally meet ya' Avatar Korra,"

"Aaaand you are?" Korra asked with suspicion.

The man took off his fedora and held it near his chest as a courtesy. "Name's Butakha. I run this whole Pro-bending shebang. It's an absolute pleasure having you around, Avatar Korra. Fellas are lining up outside of the Arena just to see you play,"

Kenai glared at Butakha all the way from the benches. He knew who the man was, as well as the rumors that surrounded him. He had been accused of fixing matches several times in the past, and although none of the allegations reached the court of justice, Kenai could smell the sketchiness that Butakha carried around with him. He was a cop, after all.

Butakha then handed Mako a stack of cash. "Here are your winnings from the last match," The firebender grinned and was about to put the cash away, but Butakha stopped him. "Not so fast, first you owe me for the Avatar's new gear. Oh, and let's not forget the gym and equipment rental from last month. You also owe me the rent on your apartment and a personal loan for your groceries," Buthaka said while retrieving the stack of cash back. Mako stared at his now empty palm in disbelief before giving Bolin a harsh glare.

"What? I'm a growing boy," Bolin excused himself.

"One little thing before I go," Butakha started to say. "The Fire Ferrets have to contribute 30.000 yuans to the championship pot. That's a non-negotiable requirement and all of the other teams have already provided their share of money, so we can't make any exceptions,"

Bolin almost fainted. "30.000 yuans!? That's insane!" he exclaimed, wondering how many groceries he could buy with all of that money.

"Sorry folks, but if you can't come up with the dough by the end of the week, I'll have no choice but to kick you out of the tournament. Best of luck to you all," With that said, Butakha left the gym with his hands inside his pockets. Mako shook his head and started packing his training gear inside a bag, while Kenai approached the Fire Ferrets to discuss what were they going to do.

"Say Korra, you wouldn't happen to own a secret Avatar bank account with lots of gold, would you?" Bolin asked.

Korra emptied her pockets in response. "I've got nothing. It's not like I've ever needed money anyways since I've always had people taking care of me,"

"Then I wouldn't say you've had nothing," the firebender replied bitterly as he took off his practice helmet and threw it inside his bag.

When Korra realized what she just said to them, she turned to Bolin. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..." Korra trailed off.

"No, it's alright. It's just that, ever since we lost our parents we've been on our own," Bolin said with a bit of sadness in his voice. Even if he was usually happy and cheery like a kid, he couldn't help but feel down whenever he talked about what he and his brother had to go through.

"I had no idea…" Korra whispered.

Kenai felt pretty bad upon hearing that Mako and Bolin had no parents. From the looks of it, they probably lost them when they were young, which most likely explained Mako's broody and no-nonsense attitude towards everyone, especially strangers. It heavily contrasted against Bolin's goofy and playful nature. They were almost complete opposites, yet they shared a strong bond of brotherhood. "Anyways, how are you guys planning on getting the money?" Kenai asked as he felt the need to change the subject.

"Wait, I got it! How about we have Pabu perform circus tricks? People would pay good money to see that!" Bolin exclaimed as he held the Fire Ferret pet.

Mako looked at his brother clearly annoyed. "Come on Bolin, we need serious ideas right now,"

Bolin was heart-broken. "But I was serious..." he muttered before his eyes light up again in enthusiasm. "Hey, now I really got it! Kenai, you're a Beifong, right? Your family could become our sponsor for the championship!" Two other pair of eyeballs turned to see Kenai. The Beifong family was certainly wealthy enough to donate 30.000 yuans for the Fire Ferrets' cause. However, Bolin's proposal went down the toilet the moment Kenai spoke up.

"Sorry, but that's not going to happen. Mom's the one in charge of the family finances, and she's not exactly a Pro-bending fan… or an Avatar fan, for that matter," he said while giving Korra a knowing look.

Korra grimaced as she understood what Kenai meant. There was no way in hell Lin would be willing to sponsor the Fire Ferrets out of the goodness of her frozen heart, and even less so if Korra was part of the team. The Avatar and the Chief of police weren't precisely on good terms, to put it lightly.

"The only real chance you guys have of participating in the championship is to get yourselves a sponsor," Kenai began to say. He was no financial expert or anything of the sort, but he did know what he was talking about as he had seen this happen before with other Pro-bending teams. "Try to talk to big corporations and see if any of them are willing to pay for your fee in exchange for publicity. Who knows? The Fire Ferrets are fairly popular right now, so with some luck, you might just make it happen. Don't waste your time contacting banks. They never do business with people they know nothing about, and with all due respect, the Fire Ferrets are new to the spotlight. That's all the advice I can give you,"

The firebender nodded his head in understanding and picked up his sports bag. "Thanks, you gave me some ideas. I'll go around the streets and figure something out like I always do. Later,"

* * *

|Air Temple Island, two days later|

Korra was currently making her way through the spinning gates. It may seem magical, but ever since she joined the Fire Ferrets, the exercise was no longer a pain in the ass (both figuratively and literally). Once she got the hang of that flowing Airbending thingy Tenzin kept talking about, her body sort of adopted a new way of moving, as well as a new way of reacting. It was weird at first, but Korra soon grew accustomed to letting her body go around without thinking about what she was doing.

"Good, light on your feet!" Ikki cheered. Jinora was there too,

Twirling her body one last time, Korra managed to get out of the spinning gates intact. Unlike her first days in the island, she was now allowed to wear her usual Water Tribe outfit while practicing her Airbending lessons, much to her joy. "That's five times in a row," Korra said as she let out a puff of air. "Let's see if I can make it to six,"

"Hey, who's that over there?" Jinora asked, making Korra turn around. To her surprise, it was none other than Mako, who was walking towards her, looking as stoic as ever. "Wow, he's cute. Korra, isn't that the firebender that's driving you crazy?"

Ikki tilted her little head in confusion. "He does? But I thought Korra was in love with Ken-"

BAAM

Before Ikki could finish her sentence, Korra stamped her feet hard into the ground, creating an earth column that sent both Ikki and Jinora several feet away. She was so not willing to have Mako hear whatever nonsense Ikki and Jinora were up to. "Hey Mako, how's it going?" she asked as if nothing had happened.

"Have you seen Bolin around?" True to his style, Mako went straight to the topic.

Korra deadpanned. "Wow, nice to see you too. And no, I haven't seen him since practice the other day. Why? You think something's wrong?"

The firebender sighed. "I don't know. He said something about going to the local park to earn money, but he's not there. It doesn't help that Bolin has… a knack for getting into stupid situations,"

"Who has a knack for getting into what?" a voice asked from behind. It was Kenai, who was wearing his casual outfit.

"Mako wants to know if we've seen Bolin," Korra answered. "I'm guessing you haven't seen him either,"

Kenai shook his head. "Can't say that I have,"

"Tch, figures. I guess I'll just have to find him on my own. See you guys later,"

"Wait, if Bolin is missing, we could help you look for him," Korra offered as she glanced at Kenai. "Right Kenai?"

"I don't have anything better to do. Sure, I'll help out,"

"Nah, I got this," Mako said as he started to leave. He had enough stress for a day to deal with the Avatar and Sergeant Beifong.

Korra grabbed his arm and slightly pulled him back. "Hey cool guy, let us help you. We can take Naga," she said with a smile.

"Who's Naga?"

"A great tracker, as well as my best friend,"

* * *

|Republic City|

"Your best friend is a... Polar Bear Dog. Somehow that makes perfect sense," Mako said as he, Kenai and Korra were ridding Naga through the streets of Republic City. People on the sidewalks were giving them strange looks, which was understandable considering Polar Bear Dogs were supposed to reside in the North and South Pole, not carrying three teenagers around the capital city of the United Republic of Nations.

"I'll take that as a compliment, city boy," Korra retorted cheekily.

They arrived at Central City Station, where a bunch of kids were playing around near the statue of Firelord Zuko. Judging by their dirty clothes and the lack of parental supervision, those kids were most likely orphans. The three benders got off Naga and approached them. "Have any of you seen my brother around?" Mako said to a kid who was wearing a worn-out ivy cap.

"Perhaps. But my memory is a little... foggy. Maybe you could help clear it up?" the kid said as he stuck out his hand.

Kenai frowned. So they weren't just innocent little orphans after all, they were street birds, informants who were willing to tell you what was going on in exchange for money. Their information, although limited, was pretty accurate most of the times. Usually, Kenai avoided using street birds as he considered it to be unethical at best due to the kids' young age, but right now, he didn't have much of a choice.

The earthbender took out his wallet before Mako could take out his. He was aware of the brothers' financial situation and believed the least he could do was to save them some money. Mako stared at Kenai for a couple of seconds before accepting the gesture with a silent nod. "Here ya' go. Now talk," Kenai demanded as he handed the kid a couple of yuans.

"Yeah, I've seen him,"

"When, Skoochy?" Mako questioned him.

"About noon,"

"What was he doing?"

"He was performing some kind of Monkey Rat circus and then..." he stopped as he wiggled his fingers as if saying 'give me give me'.

Kenai glared at him as he handed him a few more yuans. "And then what?"

Skoochy looked left and right before leaning closer to them. "Shady Shin showed up and flashed some serious cash. Bo took off with him in his hotrod. The Triple Threats, The Red Monsoons, the Agni Kai's, all of the Triads are muscling up for something really big. Now that's all you're getting out of me," he said before calling his friends and walking away.

"Shady Shin… I've read reports about him," Kenai muttered. "He's a mobster and a recruiter for the Triple Threat Triads. He has earned himself quite a reputation,"

Mako was looking serious. "Sounds like a turf war is brewing, and Bolin's about to get caught in the middle of it,"

"I don't want to question Bolin's sense of judgment or anything, but seriously, what was your brother thinking? Who trusts a guy called Shady Shin anyways?" the earthbender asked. It was like telling a secret to a girl named 'Gossip Guma' and expect her to remain silent.

The firebender rubbed his temples and let out a groan. "My brother has a heart of gold, but he's not the sharpest tool in the shed,"

'Yeah, I can tell,' Korra thought as she and her two friends hopped on Naga and continued their search. "So where are we headed now?"

"Triple Threat Triad HQ. Hopefully, Bolin's there and nothing has gone down yet," Mako answered.

"Triple Threat Triad? I beat up some of those thugs when I first got in town. But why would Bolin get tangl-" Korra's question was interrupted as Naga suddenly freaked out and started chasing something on the street. That something was a Fire Ferret.

"Isn't that your pet!?" the Sergeant asked as he pointed to the red furred animal, trying his hardest not to fall off Naga.

"It is!" Mako answered. "Pabu, get back here!"

Pabu climbed up a light post while Naga tried to catch the Fire Ferrets with her jaws. The Avatar forced Naga down with the use of the reins. "Naga, cut it out. Pabu is a friend, not a snack," she ordered. At first, Naga seemed to ignore Korra's commands, but soon enough the Polar Bear Dog relented and lowered her head in obedience. Pabu then jumped down and returned to Mako.

Once the Fire Ferret was safe inside Mako's clothes, the firebender spoke up. "We gotta hurry. Who knows what the Triple Threat Triad is up to,"

000

| Triple Threat Triad HQ|

"I have a bad feeling about this," Kenai said as they arrived at the headquarters. As soon as he got off of Naga, he immediately pulled up his hoodie in order to conceal his identity, or at least try to. The neighborhood they were currently visiting was pretty much owned by bending gangs who probably wouldn't appreciate having the Sergeant of the Police Department wandering around their territory. His body was tense and ready to react to the slightest threat. "Why are there no guards around? There are usually three or four thugs standing outside, but I can't spot any of them,"

The three benders slowly approached the entrance. "We have to be stealthy if we want to go inside. Just because there were no guards around doesn't mean we're out of the woods yet," Mako whispered as he began to move his fingers, ready to use Firebending should they encounter any problems. Kenai tightened his left fist and got his gauntlet ready. "On the count of three. One… Two…Th-"

BAAM

Korra wasted no time and kicked the door open. Both Kenai and Mako shared a glance that said 'Wow Korra, that was really stealthy'. She didn't seem to understand what the problem was all about as she was confident she was being subtle… Subtle in her own way, that is.

The place was abandoned. For someone like Kenai, who was trained to observe and think like a detective, the whole scene was just one huge mess of evidence. Almost all the furniture was destroyed, there were several bottles of alcohol rolling around on the floor, and some of the windows were broken. It was clear that a fight had taken place here, and given how no member of the Triple Threat Triad was present, Kenai feared for the worst. 'There are only two groups of people who could've done this: Another bending gang, or even worse…'

"Bolin! Can you hear me?" Mako shouted, but silence was his only response. Then, the sound of a roaring engine reached their ears. They immediately followed the noise coming from the back alley and, once they got there, Kenai confirmed his earlier suspicion.

Two men wearing black suits and gas masks were throwing the last member of the Triple Threat Triad to go inside the back of a truck that was packed with several other criminals, all of them tied up and gagged. The truck was surrounded by five motorcyclists who also wore the same outfit as their partners in crime. The earthbender recognized them right away, having met many of them over the past years.

Equalist chi-blockers.

Before the back doors of the truck were shut closed, Korra, Mako, and Kenai managed to get a glimpse of Bolin, who looked absolutely terrified. "Bolin!" Mako yelled out. Bolin's head jerked up upon hearing his name, but as soon as he registered his brother's voice, the chi-blockers closed the doors and threw a couple of smoke bombs at the trio. Unable to see and unable to breathe, Kenai stomped his right foot and punched the air, creating an earth wave that shot the cans forward. Once the smoke cleared out, they saw that Bolin's kidnappers were gone.

Korra called out Naga's name and the Polar Bear Dog immediately came to their aid. The three benders sat on top of Naga and began chasing after the chi-blockers, whose motorcycles were far too fast for Naga to keep up with them, let alone outrun them. Polar Bear Dogs sure were fast and strong, but they couldn't compete against those machines, especially if they were carrying three humans on their back.

Still, Naga refused to give up and chase after them like a predator chasing after its prey, leading Korra, Mako, and Kenai into a wide area of the city. Three of the motorcyclists slowed down and turned around to face the bending trio. One of the chi-blockers threw a rope with three weights attached at Naga's feet, who was going too fast to detect the incoming weapon and ended up with her legs tangled up. The three benders fell off of Naga and landed hard on the ground. The chi-blockers immediately charged against them, and Kenai got ready to attack the Equalist coming his way.

While he was more than used to fight chi-blockers, the same thing couldn't be said for Mako and Korra, who had never faced Amon's henchmen before. As expected, they used their bending abilities against them, but that turned out to be a big mistake as chi-blockers were trained specifically to counter their movements and engage in close-combat. Despite being the Avatar and a mighty bender, Korra couldn't do much against her opponent and ended up having her chi blocked rather quickly. Mako was a great Pro-bender, but he wasn't precisely a fighter, and it wasn't long before his chi was blocked as well.

The third chi-blocker went straight to Kenai, who performed a backwards summersault in order to keep himself away from his enemy's reach. Rule number one when fighting chi-blockers: Always keep your distance. The Sergeant then started punching the air, sending several rocks aimed at Amon's henchmen. The chi-blocker easily dodged all of them while approaching the earthbender, using flashy movements that sort of resembled Airbending in the sense that he evaded every single attack coming his way with relative ease.

Kenai then thrusted his forearm deep into the ground, creating a tall wall of earth between him and the chi-blocker. The barrier created by Kenai meant no trouble for the chi-blocker whatsoever, as he simply jumped over it in less than two seconds. Little did he know, that was exactly what Kenai wanted him to do.

While the chi-blocker was in the air, Kenai twisted his wrist (while his forearm was still beneath the ground), sending a line of earth directed straight to his point of landing. Just like his grandmother once taught him, Earthbending was all about 'listening to the Earth', or in other words, it was all about timing. Kenai calculated exactly when his adversary would touch the ground and acted accordingly. The line of earth reached the chi-blocker's foot and forced him to do a full split.

The poor guy howled in pain. Even if chi-blockers were quite flexible, anyone would suffer immensely if their legs were caught up in a 180° angle. 'Got him,' Kenai thought as he pulled his forearm back from the ground, along with a huge chunk of earth that sort of resembled a fist. Through the use of Earthbending, he propelled himself forwards and punched the chi-blocker in the chest, sending the man crashing through the wall.

BAAAAM

Luckily, Naga managed to cut the ties around her legs and kept the chi-blockers at bay, who were unable to use their fighting style against a rabid Polar Bear Dog that would maul them to death. Then, their comrade came bouncing to them after being pummeled by the Sergeant. They had no other choice but to grab their unconscious partner and escape the scene on their motorcycles, leaving the benders behind.

"You guys alright?" Kenai asked as he approached his friends and hauled Korra to her feet.

"I think so," Korra groaned as she felt a tingling sensation in her arm. She jabbed at the air a couple of times and started to panic when she realized she couldn't produce flames or throw stones through bending. "I can't bend… I can't bend!"

"Easy now, your chi has been blocked," Kenai explained as he calmly lowered Korra's arm. "You should get back to normal in about an hour or so. Those were chi-blockers, Amon's henchmen,"

"Amon?" Korra repeated. "You mean that masked guy who's behind the anti-bending revolution?"

'Boy, she sure is new in town,' the earthbender thought in slight amusement. Amon was currently one of the most popular political figures around, and anyone who had ever heard of the Equalist movement knew Amon was its leader. The only reason Kenai cut Korra some slack was because she had spent very little time in Republic City and didn't know much about its current state of affairs. "Yeah, that's the one. We've been tracking him for months, but every time we're about to get our hands on him he manages to escape, the slippery bastard," He then gave Mako a dark look. "I don't think I need to tell you this, but your brother is in real danger right now. This is bad, and if we don't do something, things are gonna get even worse,"

Mako slapped his forehead in frustration. "I just can't believe Bolin got himself into this mess! What was he thinking when he agreed to work for the Triple Threat Triad?"

"Whatever it was, it hardly matters now. There's no way of knowing where they might be taking Bolin to. We need to find someone who might have a clue,"

After half a minute of complete silence, Korra raised her voice. "I think I know just the guy,"

000

|Republic City Park at midnight|

"The first time I got here, I ran into an Equalist protestor that was talking about the tyrannical bending regime and other nonsense like that," Korra explained as she took a sit on a water fountain. Naga came and started drinking from the water fountain as she was exhausted after the chase. Kenai was now riding the motorcycle left behind by the chi-blocker he knocked out, feeling far more comfortable on top of a motorized vehicle than on top of a Polar Bear Dog. "He's not here now, but maybe he'll come tomorrow so that we can ask him where Bolin is,"

Kenai blinked. "Did that Equalist protestor happened to be some middle-age guy with a loud and annoying voice?"

"Yeah, that sounds like him alright,"

"Then he'll definitely be here tomorrow morning to spew some more Equalist propaganda. I've seen him before, and he always comes to the same place at the same time to spread Amon's message,"

"Do you think he'll know where my brother is?" Mako asked, concern written all over his usually stoic face.

The Sergeant gave him a neutral look that promised nothing. "Right now, it's the only lead we have. If he doesn't know Bolin's location, he must know other people that do. We must be patient and wait until tomorrow," he said. Kenai knew Mako wanted to hear something more concrete and optimistic, but the earthbender didn't want to get Mako's hopes up when not even he knew exactly what they should do. Bolin was in a pretty messed up situation after all, and while Kenai was willing to do everything in his power to save him, the little amount of information they had made it extremely difficult for them to come up with a solid plan of action.

After quenching her thirst, Naga sat down and got ready to sleep. Kenai and Korra sat down close to Naga while Mako was leaning his back against a tree nearby. "You know, there's something I've been wondering for a while." Korra started to say. "What was Bolin doing with the Triple Threat Triads in the first place, Mako?"

The firebender looked a tad bit uncomfortable, especially when his gaze met Kenai's. "We… Well, we sort of used to work for them back in the day,"

Korra's eyes went wide at that. "What!? Wait, are you some kind of criminal or something?"

"No, it's nothing like that at all. We just used to run numbers for them. Me and Bolin were orphans out on the streets. I did what I had to do to survive and protect my little brother," Mako defended himself as he looked at Kenai dead in the eye. Kenai understood what he was getting at. The firebender was afraid that he would get on Kenai's bad side after revealing his past ties with the Triads, given how Kenai was a member of the Police Department.

"What's important is that you managed to leave the Triads before you got way too involved with them," Kenai replied softly. "I've seen a lot of kids who start working for them and never leave their side. They enter a vicious circle they can't escape from. Provided that you haven't worked for them ever since…" he started to say, to which Mako nodded firmly. "… then you have nothing to worry about from my end,"

What should've been a moment of comfortable silence was turned into an awkward mess the moment Korra had the brilliant idea of asking Mako what happened to his parents. Kenai knew Korra was far from being a genius when it came to social interactions, but anyone with a shred of common sense would know NOT to ask an orphan such a question. Like, come on, the guy was an orphan! What did she think happened to his parents? However, if Mako was bothered by her question, he didn't show it. He told both of them how his parents were murdered by a firebender when he was nine years old and how he was forced to man up way before his time in order to look after his younger brother.

"Bolin is the only family I have left. If anything happens to him…"

"Nothing will happen to him, Mako," Korra interrupted. "I promise,"

After a while, the group decided it was time to get some sleep. None of them moved from their sitting spots. However, Korra did make sure to leave some space between her and Kenai.

000

|Republic City Central Park in the morning|

Mako woke up with the light of the sun hitting his face. He grunted a couple of times as he had a sore back, no doubt due to spending the night sleeping against a tree. Once he blinked enough to have a clear vision, he saw that Kenai and Korra had yet to wake up… and that they had gotten pretty comfortable with one another over the night.

Kenai had a rather protective arm around Korra, keeping the Avatar's body close to his. As for Korra, she was resting her head on Kenai's chest and had one hand on his shoulder. Their faces were inches away from one another, close enough to feel each other's breathing.

The scene was more than enough to make Mako raise a questionable eyebrow. Was there something going on between those two that he didn't know about?

Korra began fluttering her eyelashes as she began to wake up. As soon as she got a proper view, her heart simply stopped. She had no idea why Kenai's hand was grabbing her waist, or why she had her own hand on his shoulder, or why was she so damn close to his face, to the point where their lips would make contact should she lean over a bit more…

"D'aaaaaahhh!" Korra freaked out and pushed Kenai away from her before crawling to a safe distance, her face as red as a Fire Ferret. Kenai got up after his face kissed the ground, waking up and performing a silly-looking fighting stance, his hair full of grass.

"What is it? The Triads? Equalists?" he said in a slurry voice. It took him a while to realize that they were in no danger whatsoever. All he could see was a confused Mako and a flustered Korra. "What was that all about? What happened?"

"Nothing happened!" Korra snapped as she looked scandalized for some reason.

The earthbender gave her a weird look. "So, you just push people while they're sleeping for no reason? Is that how you wake up every morning?"

Korra's blush grew even more notorious as she sputtered a bunch of incoherent excuses she herself couldn't comprehend. Luckily for her, the sound of someone shouting through a megaphone gave her a way out of the humiliating situation she had found herself to be in. "That's the guy I was talking about. Let's go," Before Kenai had time to make sense of what just took place, Korra passed right by his side and refused to look at him. Mako didn't bother to bring up the subject as there were more important things to do, like figuring out where Bolin was.

"My fellow non-benders, the time to fight back is here! We've been belittled and looked down upon by benders for far too long, and Amon is the only one willing to stand up for us! The Equalist movement will rise and shine!"

"Good grief, I can't handle this guy," Korra complained as they walked towards him.

"Is he even allowed to say stuff like that in the middle of the park?" Mako asked Kenai.

"It's a public space, which means that he's not trespassing anyone's private property. As for what he's saying, I'm not allowed to arrest people for verbally expressing their political thoughts, no matter how extreme they are… and even if I were allowed, I still wouldn't do it,"

The Avatar raised a perplexed eyebrow. "You wouldn't? Why not?"

"Because I don't believe anyone should have the power to silence people just because they happen to have the 'wrong opinion', no matter how tempting it may be," he answered while furrowing his brow in annoyance. It was hard for him to uphold his principles when the man in front of them was spewing his rubbish views on bending with the help of a megaphone. The fact that the Equalist supporter was also the owner of a very punchable face made things even harder. "Let me do the talk. I know how to deal with guys like him," Kenai said while the two others nodded in agreement.

"… the only way for us to achieve peace is through equality, and equality is exactly what benders are against because they refuse to…" the Equalist supporter stopped in the middle of his sentence as he recognized Korra, as well as Kenai despite him not wearing his Metalbending armor. "It is you! You cannot silence me, Avatar! And neither can you, Sergeant Beifong!" he exclaimed while invading Kenai's personal space.

Kenai slapped his megaphone away from him and took a step forward, making the man yelp and cower in fear. "Listen here pal, I don't care if you use your freedom of speech to tell lies about me or the Avatar, but the next time you put a megaphone in my face, I will shove it up your behind where the sun doesn't shine. Now, a friend of ours was abducted by Equalists chi-blockers yesterday night, along with several members of the Triple Threat Triad. Maybe you'd like to tell me more about it?"

"I-I-I don't know anything a-about that,"

The earthbender didn't even need to use his seismic sense to realize that the man was lying through his teeth. "Really? In that case, would you care to give me more information about this… Equalist get-together that you're handing out flyers for?" Kenai asked as he grabbed several pamphlets from the man's desk. " _Witness the Revelation tonight at nine o'clock._ How interesting. Is this 'revelation' a code-term for Amon's birthday party or something like that?"

The Equalist supporter went pale. "The only thing I know about the Revelation is that it doesn't concern the likes of you! And I don't know what happened to your friend, but if he's a bender, then he'll get what's coming to him,"

"You just admitted that you know more about the Revelation than what you're telling us, genius," Korra stepped in.

Mako was starting to lose his patience. "Where is my brother? And where is this Revelation thing going down?"

"Help! Help! These benders are harassing me!" the Equalist supporter cried out, gaining the attention of several park guards and civilians. The bending trio swiftly left the scene carrying several Equalist flyers. Kenai knew he could've gotten more answers out of the man, but the place and the time of the circumstances didn't allow it. Besides, sticking around would cause more harm than good at this point.

000

|Republic City's Train Station|

The search party went to the Train Station to properly think what their next move would be. Once they made sure no one was following or observing them, they sat on a bench beneath the train's bridge. "Why didn't the Equalists put a location on these?" Korra asked. The flyers they took with them told what was going to happen and when, but not where.

"Probably because they don't want just anyone coming over to their big Revelation, whatever that is." Mako deducted. "Maybe these flyers can give us a clue,"

Kenai nodded as he stared at several flyers at once. "If there's one thing that I've learned, is that these guys never pass around information in a straightforward fashion. I'm not surprised considering the kind of illegal activities they're into. The address may not be typed, but it's definitely included,"

Korra then noticed something strange. There was a red dot in the back of one of the flyers. It was perfectly shaped and bright, so it didn't seem like an accident. "Guys, you might want to take a look at this,"

After noticing how the lines printed on the back of the flyers were different from one another, the trio realized those lines followed a certain pattern. It was like a puzzle, a puzzle that would show the location of the Equalist gathering. Luckily for them, there was no need to look into every single flyer as there was a map of Republic City conveniently placed near them. It was meant to show all of the stations around in the city, but Mako used it to look for the spot that matched the design of the flyer with the red dot.

Within one minute of searching, Mako found the spot of the map that matched the lines printed on the back of the flyer. The red dot landed on a specific point of the map located in the Industrial District.

"Bingo,"

000

|Industrial District, almost nine o'clock|

The three benders agreed to go their separate ways and meet again near the place where the Revelation was supposed to happen. Kenai soon realized why Amon chose the Industrial District to set up his event. Most factories were already closed by nine o'clock and they had plenty of space inside, but most importantly, it was a place frequented mostly by working-class non-benders, the kind of people that were most likely to be a victim of bending gangs.

It was rather obvious that such an event wouldn't be the safest for benders to assist, which was why Kenai, Korra, and Mako couldn't just barge in like it was nothing. Mako, although not exactly a celebrity, had grown quite popular recently thanks to his Pro-bending performances, so for someone to recognize him was well within the realm of possibilities. Kenai was a member of the Metalbending Police Force, as well as someone who had fought against the Equalists on multiple occasions, not to mention a fairly well-known public figure. Korra? Korra was the freaking Avatar. Her tittle alone made her one of the most influential and famous individuals in all of history, along with her predecessors.

So, in order to avoid getting caught, they all had to use disguises. Both Korra and Mako wore trench coats and Ivy caps to hide their identity, and while Kenai was still able to recognize them, it didn't seem like they were going to have much trouble blending into the crowd. Kenai also wore a dark trench coat, but instead of an Ivy cap, he had his hood on. His forehead and his left eye were covered in bandages to further conceal his face. If anyone asked, a nasty encounter with a firebender from the triads resulted in him losing an eye and some of his face, which was more than enough reason to dislike benders and support the Equalist movement.

As they reached the entrance, Kenai noticed that a guard was standing near the door. Everyone who wanted to go inside pulled out a piece of paper, an invitation if the earthbender was right, before the guard would allow them in. Realizing that they still were far enough to avoid being noticed, Kenai stopped Mako and Korra. "Wait,"

"What is it?" Korra asked.

"It looks like you need to show an invitation to enter the place," Kenai responded as he took out some of the Equalists flyers he brought with him and handed them to Mako and Korra. "And if I'm not mistaken, these are the invitations. Also, we shouldn't go all of us at once. I'll go first and then you two go about five minutes later. Got it?"

"Got it," the two of them said.

"Good," Kenai said as he started to walk towards the entrance.

When Kenai got closer, he was stopped by the guard. "Halt. Where is your invitation?"

Kenai handed the guard a flyer. "This what ya' mean?" he said while deepening his voice and adding some grit to it.

The guard nodded. "The Revelation is upon us, my brother," he said, stepping aside and opening the door for him. The disguised earthbender nodded and entered the building.

Five minutes later, the three benders regrouped and watched in awe at the sheer number of people who were attending the Revelation. With a quick glance, Kenai calculated how many non-benders were present and the amount easily surpassed the thousands. 'Is this an Equalist gathering or a music concert?'

"I knew a lot of people hated benders, but I've never seen so many in one place," Mako muttered, to which Kenai agreed wholeheartedly. "We need to find a way to the backstage. Bolin must be there,"

They made their way through the crowd without being noticed. Kenai looked left and right to spot all the guards he could. There weren't a lot of them, but Kenai was certain that one mistake would be enough to call their attention. What was more, there was no way of telling how many of Amon's chi-blockers were hidden inside the building. The thought of not being able to know what Amon had in store for them made him feel on edge.

Suddenly, the lights of the stage were turned on, illuminating the entire place. A voice was heard from the roof. "Please welcome your hero, your savior, Amon!" the voice shouted as the crowd started roaring and cheering passionately at the entrance of the Equalist leader. Smoke appeared out of the stage, and when it dissipated, a man wearing a mask with three chi-blockers on both his sides was standing at the middle of it. It was Amon.

When the crowd settled down, Amon approached the microphone and started his speech. "Good night, my fellow brothers and sisters. My quest for equality began many years ago. When I was a boy, me and my family lived in a small farm. We weren't rich and none of us were benders. This made us very easy targets for a firebender that extorted my father. One day, my father confronted this man. But when that happened, that firebender took my family away from me. And then, he took my face. I've been forced to hide behind a mask ever since,"

The crowd gasped and started whispering about the evil of bending.

Amon continued. "As you know, the Avatar has recently arrived to Republic City," he said as the crowd booed at the mention of the Avatar. "And if she were here, she would tell you that bending brings balance to the world. But she is wrong. The only thing that bending has brought to the world is suffering and misery. It has been the cause of every war in every era, but that is about to change,"

'I gotta hand it to you, Amon. If anything, you know how to tell a good speech,' Kenai thought.

"I know what you are all wondering: What is the Revelation? You are about to get your answer. Since the beginning of time, the Spirits have been guardians of our world. And they have spoken to me. They said the Avatar has failed humanity," Hearing what he just said, Korra's face tensed and her eye began to twitch. Kenai noticed this and grabbed Korra's hand in an attempt to calm her. She grabbed Kenai's hand and squeezed it hard in anger. "That is why the Spirits have chosen me to start a new era of balance. They have granted me a power that will make equality a reality... The power to take someone's bending away, permanently,"

Korra's eyes widened. "That's impossible! There's no way!" she whispered to Kenai.

"That guy is insane," Mako whispered as well.

The Sergeant had a deeply troubled look on his face. While his two friends were in understandable denial, Kenai wasn't so sure what to make of Amon's statement. There had been several rumors going around in the Police Department for the past few months regarding Amon and the Equalist movement. It was said that some benders, both criminals and law-abiding citizens, have had their bending abilities removed by Amon through unknown means. Most members of the Police Department dismissed that rumor and branded it as nothing but propaganda, but Kenai and Lin were rather suspicious of this and refused to ignore such a dangerous claim until they had enough evidence to disprove it.

"Now, I believe a demonstration is in order. Please welcome Lightning Bolt Zolt, leader of the Triple Threat Triad and one of the most notorious criminals in Republic City," Amon said as a couple of chi-blockers entered the stage with a handcuffed man wearing expensive clothing.

The crowd booed hard and loud. "Ahhh, boo yourselves!" was the only thing the leader of the Triad could say. Along with Zolt, other members of the Triple Threat came along tied with ropes.

And Bolin was one of them.

Amon spoke again. "As you already know, Zolt has amassed a fortune by extorting and abusing non-benders such as ourselves. But his reign of terror is about to come to an end. Now, in the interest of fairness, I will give Zolt the chance to fight to keep his bending," he said as one of the chi-blockers released Zolt from his handcuffs and stepped back.

"You're gonna regret doing that, pal!" Zolt shouted as he fired a couple of fireballs. Amon dodged them with ease, getting closer and closer to him with every step he took. Zolt then threw a lightning ray, but Amon simply ducked down and quickly grabbed his hand to evade the attack. Before the Triple Threat Triad leader could react, he was brought down to his knees by Amon and started losing control of his bending. Amon then placed his thumb on Zolt's forehead. After a minute, Amon released the man. Zolt threw a punch in an attempt to bend fire against the Equalist leader, but nothing happened. "What... What have you done to me?"

"Your Firebending is gone… forever,"

The crowd went wild, clearly amazed by Amon's power. Kenai's jaw dropped as he couldn't believe what he just saw. 'I'll be damned. He can really take people's bending away,' He then looked at Korra and she had a face of not only surprise, but fear as well.

"The era of bending is over. A new era of equality has begun!" Amon shouted and the crowd cheered in victory

Snapping out of her shock, Korra faced Mako. "Any ideas yet on how are we going to get Bolin out of here?"

"I think so. See those machines over there?" Mako said while pointing at a couple of engines that were connected to several pipelines. "They're powered by water and steam. If you guys can create some cover, I can grab Bolin without anyone seeing. Then we leave this place as fast as we can,"

"Works for me," Korra responded.

"Me too," Kenai said before placing his hand on the firebender's shoulder. "Be careful out there,"

"Good luck, Mako," the Avatar said as well.

Mako thanked both of them and went to the stage. Korra and Kenai moved away from the crowd and entered a side hallway full of engines and steam pipes. They both nodded to each other and began turning the valves, a task which proved to be harder than what the two of them anticipated as the valves were freaking tough. Little by little, steam began to come out, but they weren't going to make it in time with their current pace.

"What are you two doing here?"

The two benders looked over their shoulders and saw the guard from the entrance approaching them with a non-so-friendly attitude. "Is there a problem, my brother?" Kenai asked trying to play it cool.

"This area is strictly off limits,"

"Huuuuuh… We're looking for the bathroom?"

Unsurprisingly enough, the guard didn't believe them and pulled out a big wrench out of his pocket. He then tried to attack Kenai, but the Sergeant quickly raised his hand and used his Metalbending to stop the wrench in the guard's hand. The guard watched in astonishment how his weapon was suddenly sitting still in the air. This gave Korra enough time to approach him and deliver a spinning kick to his head. The man lost his balance and started tripping backwards, and Kenai used this instance to jump towards him and shot his right cable like a whip, striking the guard's temple with the blunt and round end.

'That should keep him unconscious for a few hours,' Kenai thought as he watched how the guard fell to the ground out cold. He then turned around, raised his two hands in the air and performed a turning motion as if he was holding the steering while of a Satomobile. The valves soon gave in and started to release an enormous amount of steam. Making use of his Metalbending abilities yet again, Kenai slashed open a large fissure in the wall, creating an echo that resonated all over the place and interrupting Amon's bending-removal process. Korra then used Waterbending to manipulate the steam and slam it into the fissure.

The effect was immediate. Soon, Amon's stage was surrounded by steam, causing panic and confusion among those who were attending the rally. Mako went up the stage, punched the chi-blocker next to his brother and untied Bolin. Kenai then pulled his hood down and removed the bandages that were covering his face. At this point, it hardly mattered if anyone recognized him.

The two brothers reached the exit and went outside, where Kenai, Korra, and Naga were waiting for them. "You guys saved my life! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Bolin exclaimed as he hugged his rescuers. Mako, however, grabbed him by the collar and started berating him, and rightfully so.

"What were you thinking, Bolin? I told you never to talk to anyone that belongs to the triads! Look what you got yourself into!"

"Ouch! I'm sorry, okay? I was just trying to earn enough money for the championship pot. Shady Shin said it was going to be a one-time, risk-free job!"

Kenai felt like slapping his own forehead in frustration. How gullible did you have to be to accept a 'risk-free' job from someone like Shady Shin? He cleared his throat to gain their attention. "You two can discuss things later. This place will soon be swarming with Equalists. Listen up, this is what we're going to do: Since Naga can't possibly carry the four of us, we'll split our way to the Pro-bending Arena. Mako, you will stick with Korra. The Flying Boar District is your best option right now. Bolin, you're coming with me. I'll see you at the Air Temple, Korra,"

There was no time to waste. Korra gave Kenai a quick nod and left with Mako. Kenai gestured Bolin to follow him and they both sat on the motorcycle Kenai obtained the other night during his scuffle with the chi-blockers. The engine roared as he removed the rod that allowed the motorcycle to stand still with the back of his keel.

"Wait, aren't we supposed to be wearing helmets for oursaf- Whaaaaaaaaaa!" Kenai took off before Bolin had enough time to finish his question. Kenai was used to driving at high speed due to the fact that he and his mother have had to chase down lots of criminals during numerous persecutions. The same thing could not be said for Bolin, however, as the earthbender from the Fire Ferrets shrieked in terror, thinking that the two of them were going to die in a road accident before he could get back home.

* * *

|Air Temple|

Tenzin was inches away from suffering an emotional breakdown. Neither Korra nor Kenai had been seen since yesterday and they were still yet to be found. He was currently assembling a search party with the White Lotus sentries to go look for the Avatar and his nephew. While discussing the arrangements of the search party, Tenzin saw Korra and Kenai walking towards him.

"Thank goodness. I was just about to send a search party. Are you two alright?" Tenzin asked concerned. Korra didn't respond, she just stood there avoiding his gaze. The old airbender saw fear in her eyes. "Korra, what happened? Did you find your friend?"

"Our friend is fine. It's just that…" Kenai hesitated. "We ended up in an Equalist rally. Amon was there,"

"We saw what he's capable of," Korra said in a low tone of voice. "He has the power to remove people's bending… forever,"

The son of Aang couldn't believe what he just heard. "That's... That's impossible. Only the Avatar has ever possessed that ability,"

"But we saw him do it," Korra said with all the honesty she could muster.

Tenzin stared at her. The way she looked at him and the way she talked could only mean one thing. "I believe you. I don't know how Amon has achieved this power, but that means that the Revolution is more dangerous than ever. No bender is safe,"

Kenai could only frown as a feeling of dread took over him. Amon had officially become the most dangerous man in Republic City.

* * *

Aaaaand that was chapter 4.

I'm sorry if certain scenes were a little rushed, but I just wanted to get this chapter done after not uploading for some time. To be honest, writing this chapter was kind of a hassle because the episode itself lacked… I don't know, excitement? Anyways, I'll start working on chapter 5 as soon as finish writing the next "S:TFM" chapter, which you are more than welcome to read if you happen to be interested in reading Naruto fics with OC's as the main character.

Don't forget to Review, Favorite & follow.

Peace!


	5. Chapter 5 (part 2)

**CHAPTER 5: CONFRONTING REVELATIONS (PART 2)**

* * *

(Disclaimer: I don't own A:LOK. I only own my OC's)

* * *

|Korra's room|

 _"After I take your bending away, you will be nothing,"_

"Aaaaaaaah!" Korra violently woke up, her face dripping with sweat. It happened again. The nightmares of Amon taking away her bending.

"Korra!" Kenai shouted while slamming the door of her room open. He heard the screams all the way from his room and feared for the worst. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay. Just a stupid nightmare, is all," Korra replied trying to sound confident. She also took a good look at Kenai, who was wearing nothing a pair of sweatpants and a black tank top. He had his right gauntlet on and was bending five rocks with his left hand in a circular formation.

Kenai sighed with relief. For a moment he thought that someone had sneaked its way into Korra's room and tried to attack her, but he was certainly glad that wasn't the case. He was about to turn around and leave, but then he decided this was the perfect opportunity to discuss Korra's fears with her. "That stupid nightmare was about Amon, am I right?" he said after taking a seat next to Korra, who was wearing a modest sleeping blouse that matched her Water Tribe outfit.

Korra looked at Kenai in shock and gasped. 'How does he know?'

The earthbender elaborated. "You know, there's nothing wrong with being scared. All you have to-"

"I'm not scared! What makes you think that!?" the Avatar snapped. After realizing what she just did, Korra started to feel guilty. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you,"

"Don't worry. But you do realize you just proved to me that Amon has you messed up, right?"

The Avatar didn't know how to respond to that, so she just turned her head and refused to see Kenai. She would never admit to Kenai that Amon had filled her head with worries. Not even to herself.

Kenai sighed and stood up. "Look, all I'm saying is that whenever you're ready to talk about it, I'm here for you. Just think about it, okay?"

"Listen Kenai, I appreciate that you're trying to help me, but there's simply nothing to talk about," Korra responded as she looked at Kenai once more. Her voice tone clearly indicated that she had no desire to keep the conversation going, and Kenai decided not to push the subject any further, at least for the time being.

"If you say so. Good night, Korra,"

"Good night, Kenai,"

* * *

|Republic City Police Department|

The Sergeant of the Metalbending Police Force groaned in despair as he closed a huge binder and opened up a new one, feeling how the bags under his eyes were growing larger. He gulped down the last of his fifth consecutive cup of coffee, and judging by the amount of paperwork in his desk, he was going to need five more before he could finish. After spending so much time away from his office, the number of reports that had gone unchecked pretty much went through the roof, and knowing that it would only get worse now that he had the whole Equalist drama to add to his reports make Kenai want to cry.

However, that was not the only thing that frustrated Kenai. Ever since the Equalist rally took place, Korra's behavior almost took a complete 180 turn. She was heavily distracted, to the point where Kenai often had to snap her out of her daydreaming state by calling her attention. Her energetic personality had now been replaced by a more sober and serious one, and while Kenai didn't particularly mind dealing with sober and serious people, he found himself missing the old Korra, the one that escaped from the island behind his back just to see her first pro-bending match. The worst thing about it was how proud she was acting, because even though everyone had noticed the sudden change in Korra's attitude, she refused to talk to anyone about it. Kenai was doing his best to get her to acknowledge the fact that she wasn't being herself, but Korra would simply brush off his concerns or flat out ignore him in some occasions.

'It's all because of Amon,' Kenai thought as he tightened his fist. Now that he knew what Amon was capable of, he felt the urge to be around Korra and protect her at all times in case the leader of the Equalists made a move on her. When he struck a deal with Tenzin, the agreement was that he was supposed to watch over her while she learned Airbending under his uncle's guidance, but now, things were different. Agreement or not, Kenai now felt it was his duty to remain by Korra's side and keep her safe from any and all danger, not because that was what he promised Tenzin he would do, but because he cared for Korra… he deeply cared for her.

Kenai dropped his pen and placed both his hands on the sides of his head. He never expected it would come down to this, but he couldn't deny the reality of the situation: He had developed feelings for Korra.

It was never something he intended to happen. While it was true that her looks left him dazed as soon as he laid his eyes on her, Kenai didn't believe in such a thing as love at first sight. There were other things that made Korra special and different from the rest, such as her confident and slightly cocky personality, her cute and often amusing naivety, and her willingness to face danger any time of the day. He had never met a girl like her before, and he didn't exactly know why, but all of those traits made her special to him. The fact that she was the Avatar barely had anything to do with his attraction towards her. Korra could've been a non-bender for all he cared he still would've found himself in the position he was currently in.

Maybe the reason he was just beginning to acknowledge his own feelings was that all of the traits that made Korra who she was were no longer there. Amon's demonstration at the rally changed Korra, and it wasn't hard to guess why. Any bender would feel afraid at the prospect of losing his or her natural gift, including himself. For someone like the Avatar, that fear had to be far greater in comparison, as she was the one responsible for keeping the peace and bringing balance to the world, and no Avatar in history had ever had his or her bending removed as far as Kenai knew.

"Kenai?"

The earthbender's train of thought came to a halt as he looked at the monk that was standing in front of him. He rubbed his eyes and gave Tenzin a weary smile. "Hey there, Tenzin,"

"Busy at work, I see,"

"Yeah, well, I had to eventually get this over with," Kenai replied before yawning. "How was the Council meeting? Did anything important happen?"

"Tarrlok is assembling a new task force dedicated to fighting the Equalist movement," Just saying Tarrlok's name was enough to make Tenzin develop a sour expression. "He will personally invite members of the Police Department to join him, including members of the Metalbending Police Force,"

Kenai's eyes widened. "Tarrlok? Why does he, out of all people, have to be the one assembling a new task force? Is he even aware of what he's getting into?"

Tarrlok, the representative of the Northern Water Tribe in the United Republic Council, was someone Kenai had a bit of distaste for. He wasn't a bad person per say, nor was he a criminal, but the man was like the living embodiment of just about every politician the Sergeant had ever met. His impeccable manners and his innate ability to sweet-talk others into doing his bidding made him one of the most influential individuals in Republic City's political spectrum, and for whatever reason, he often used his clout to meddle in affairs that were not of his own, especially the Police Department's affairs.

"My reaction was quite the same as yours, Kenai. He claims he is doing this in order to bring Amon down, but I am certain this is nothing but another power grab like the ones he has done in the past. And that man… can you believe he had the temerity to compare himself to Avatar Aang?"

"That's not exactly what I meant," Kenai replied with a shake of his head. "I'm all for bringing Amon and the Equalist movement down through action, but I don't want him leading the operation. He's a politician, not an officer or a soldier. We don't tell him how to do his job, so why should he be in charge of ours?"

Before Tenzin could reply, the radio station Kenai was listening to suddenly cut off its broadcast and the music was replaced by a dark voice Kenai knew all too well.

" _Greetings, my fellow Equalists. This is Amon. As you may or may not have heard, the Council of Republic City has decided to make me their number one enemy, proving once again how the bending establishment is openly conspiring against our revolution and our dream of one day living as equals. However, they will not stop us. Our numbers are growing by the day, and soon enough, all benders shall experience the same fear that they have brought to us,"_

The transmission then went quiet, and thirty seconds later, the music went back on like nothing had happened. "This guy is unbelievable," Kenai said as he glared at the replaced the radio on his desk with a mental picture of Amon's mask. "We have to stop him before he gains more support. I wish we knew his exact location, but he keeps going from place to place like a rat in the sewers,"

"We have to remain patient. Amon will be brought to justice eventually, but only if we wait for the correct moment to act," the airbender replied. His facial features then softened a little as he offered his godson an amicable smile. "Will you be joining us for dinner tonight?"

"… Thanks, I'd like that. I've been sitting here all day long and this paperwork is driving me nuts. I didn't even have breakfast this morning," the Sergeant said as he stood up and ran a hand through his hair. "Did aunt Pema prepared those noodles I like so much? Because if she did, I'm gonna eat all of it. You've been warned, uncle Tenzin,"

Tenzin chuckled slightly and placed his hand on Kenai's shoulder. "I certainly recall smelling noodles in the kitchen. Come, let's get going before it gets too dark,"

* * *

|Air Temple|

Tenzin and his family were praying to the Spirits before getting ready to eat, following the ancient customs of airbenders. While Tenzin spoke, Kenai's eyes were fixated on the steaming pile of noodles on the table, with drool threatening to slide down the corner of his mouth. 'Come on… Hurry up… I'm hungry…'

"… and finally, we would like to give our thanks for this delicious food, for kindness, for compassion, for understand-"

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" someone asked as he stepped inside the dining room.

That someone was none other than Tarrlok, who was wearing a fancy Water Tribe suit. Kenai had to fight back the urge to groan. 'Great, just what we needed right now,'

"Tarrlok, what are you doing here? We are about to have dinner," Tenzin said.

"Is that so? How convenient, because I am starving, and airbenders never turn down a hungry guest, am I right?" Tarrlok countered with a knowing smirk. It was almost amusing how Tarrlok referred to himself as a guest, yet the thought of inviting Tarrlok over to his house had been erased from Tenzin's mind the moment he first met the representative of the Northern Water Tribe.

The old monk attempted to refute Tarrlok's claim, but in the end, he relented. "… I suppose so," Tenzin begrudgingly admitted. Pema gave her husband a glare, folding her arms in clear disapproval. Tenzin shrugged as if saying 'what do you expect me to do?'

The councilmen made his way to Korra. "Ahhh, you must be the famous Avatar Korra. It is truly an honor. I am councilman Tarrlok, representative of the Northern Water Tribe,"

Korra stood up. "Nice to meet you," she said as they both bowed before sitting down.

Tarrlok's gaze then met Kenai's. "Sergeant Beifong, what an unexpected, yet pleasant surprise,"

"Likewise," Kenai said in a neutral tone that covered his uncomfortableness. Being around the councilman was like being around a Pigmy Puma with a leash around its neck: Just because it was tamed didn't mean it wasn't going to bite your hand the moment you got close. Now, of course Tarrlok wasn't going to randomly start biting people, but Kenai had to pay close attention to what Tarrlok said and figure out what his true intentions were unless he wanted to be fooled… or bitten… by the councilman.

Ikki immediately approached him. "Why do you have three ponytails? And how come you smell like a lady? You're weird,"

Tarrlok's eye twitched. "Well aren't you... precocious," he said for lack of a better term before turning to face Korra and Kenai. "So, I have been reading about you two in the papers. Infiltrating Amon's rally all by yourselves? Now that took some real initiative,"

The Avatar blinked owlishly. "Oh, well, thanks. I think you're the first authority figure in this city to be glad that I'm here," she replied. The sound of someone clearing his throat made Korra roll her eyes. "Yes Kenai, you too,"

"Republic City is much better off now that both of you are working together," Tarrlok continued.

Thankfully for Kenai, his godfather spoke up their doubts for the two of them. "Enough with the flattering, Tarrlok. What do you want from them?"

"Patience Tenzin, I am getting to that. As you may have heard, I am assembling a task force that will strike at the heart of the revolution. I would very much like you two to join me,"

"Really? Korra asked in surprise.

Tenzin followed. "What?"

The Northern Water Tribe councilman explained himself. "Sergeant Beifong here has dealt with Amon's henchmen in plenty of occasions. His performances against chi-blockers and triad members alike have been excellent, and his reputation as one of the best law enforcers out there precedes him. I need someone with his experience and his skills in my task force. As for you Korra, I am giving you the opportunity to contribute to our cause and make a real difference. When you came here, you said that you were looking forward to serving Republic City. This is your chance to do so, and you will be doing it alongside the finest benders this city has to offer,"

Korra looked unsure, and she really was. Even if she really wanted to bring the Equalists movement down once and for all, the thought of confronting Amon directly was unsettling. Before the rally, she would've probably accepted Tarrlok's offer without thinking twice about it, but now...

"Join your task force? Sorry, but I can't,"

Upon hearing her answer, Kenai silently released a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

Tarrlok looked slightly unsettled. "I... must admit that I'm... rather surprised. I thought you would jump at the chance to help me lead the charge against Amon,"

"Me too," Tenzin muttered.

"I came to Republic City to finish my Avatar training with Tenzin. Right now, I just need to focus on that," the Avatar explained calmly. For someone who had seismic sense abilities such as Kenai, it was quite easy to tell Korra wasn't being honest. As soon as the councilman mentioned Amon, Kenai detected a change in Korra's heartbeat pattern by casually placing his open palm on the floor next to her. However, there was no need for him to do that. He knew how Korra was feeling, regardless of her stubbornness.

Tarrlok then looked at Kenai and waited for an answer on his behalf. "My mission is to stick with Korra and make sure nothing bad happens to her. I have to decline your offer as well," Kenai stated as simply as he could. He didn't feel like giving Tarrlok any more explanations. The less he knew, the better.

"I believe Korra and Kenai have given you their answers," Tenzin said while sipping his tea, acting as smugly as his Airbending nature allowed him. "Now, unless you have something else to discuss, I must kindly ask you to leave,"

The councilman stood up, knowing that arguing with Tenzin in front of Korra and Kenai wouldn't make him look good or help them change their minds. "Very well, I will get going now. But I'm not giving up just yet. You'll be hearing from me soon. It has been a pleasure, Avatar Korra, Sergeant Beifong,"

"Councilman," Kenai responded with a curt nod of his head. He would have to keep an eye on that guy.

As Tarrlok leaved the room, Ikki decided to say her goodbyes as well. "Bye-bye ponytail man!"

000

|Next morning|

Kenai finished feeding Oogi and was wandering around the temple. He was thinking about how to get Korra to talk about her fears. But how? She would just say that she wasn't scared of anything or anyone. If he kept pressing her, Korra would get angry at him and storm off, making it even harder for Kenai to help her. He thought about talking with Tenzin first, but the airbender would probably tell him to stay close to her and keep him informed of her mood, which he was already doing. Pema would be a good person to talk about it, but he feared Korra would become furious with him should she ever find out. As for his mother Lin… Yeah, maybe he should avoid going down that road.

'Guess I'm on my own in this time,' Kenai thought. He spotted Korra sitting on some stairs outside the temple along with Naga. She appeared to be in deep thought. 'Here goes nothing.' "Hey Korra,"

Korra looked up. "Hey there," she responded without much energy.

The airbender took a seat next to her. "You know, I've noticed that you haven't been yourself lately. Something bothering you?"

"Nah, I'm just a little stressed right now. You don't have to worry about me," Korra responded.

"But I do worry about you. What is it that's stressing you?"

"It's just the whole Airbending thing and now Tarrlok wants me to join his task force, it's a little too much right now,"

Kenai nodded. "Is that all?"

"Yup, that's about it,"

"Are you sure? Is there nothing else that could be-"

"Look Kenai, just drop it," Korra cut him off rudely.

Kenai narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Just drop it, okay? I don't want to talk about it. Can you please just stop?" Korra asked with pleading eyes.

"... Fine. I just don't like seeing you like that… I care about you," Kenai said as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

Korra gave him a weak smile. "Thanks,"

"Hello there, fellow teammate and fellow non-teammate," the voice of Bolin was heard. True enough, Bolin was approaching them with his hands behind his back along with Pabu on his shoulders.

Kenai smiled. "Yo Bolin, nice to see you,"

"Hey Bolin," Korra greeted as she rubbed Naga's belly.

"Missed you at practice this week," Bolin said as he made his way to his friends.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Korra responded.

Bolin shrugged his shoulders. "Nah, it's alright. Unless some money miraculously drops from the sky by tomorrow, we're probably out of the tournament anyway," he said as his attitude changed from dismissing to slightly annoyed.

The Sergeant raised an eyebrow. "So Pabu's circus tricks didn't work? I thought you said people would pay good money to see it,"

"And they will, trust me! It's just that I've yet to find the right audience. People simply don't seem to recognize art when they see it," Bolin stated as a matter of fact while Kenai sweatdropped. He wouldn't be able to recognize art either if it came in the form of an ordinary Fire Ferret. "Anyways, the reason I came by was to give you this. Tada!" Bolin exclaimed as he revealed what he was hiding behind his back: A rose and a cupcake inside a plastic bag.

"Wow, thanks," Korra said as he took them. "But what's this for?"

"Ah, I can't remember now. Oh yeah, now I remember! You saved me from Amon!"

"Oh, that? It was no big deal," Korra said dismissingly.

"No big deal? Are you serious right now? I was totally freaking out when he was coming at me with his creepy mask and all that 'I'm gonna take away your bending forever' talk. I mean, that was some scary stuff right there. I still can't sleep well at night,"

Kenai cringed. 'Damn it, Bolin,' he thought as Korra paled slightly. Bolin was completely oblivious to the fact that what Korra witnessed at the rally messed her up badly, which was why he was talking about Amon so causally and Bolin-esque. Not liking where the conversation was going, Kenai decided to change the topic. "Hey, what about me? I was basically the mastermind behind the rescue plan, you know,"

"Of course I have something for you. Check this out…" the earthbender then pulled a piece of paper with his name written in it out of his pocket and handed it to Kenai. "There you go. Pretty cool, right?"

"Wait, so Korra gets a cupcake and I get… your signature?" Kenai asked in disbelief. He could care less about the rose, but that cupcake looked pretty darn tasty.

"That's where you're wrong. It's not my signature, it's my autograph! Trust me, once we make it big, that thing is gonna be worth millions,"

"… Right. Thanks, I suppose," the Sergeant said with little to no enthusiasm. Somehow, he doubted Bolin's autograph would ever be worth that much money, or any money for that matter. And besides, the Beifong family was already very rich, so it's not like he felt the need to increase the numbers of his bank account. Heck, if he had immediate access to his inheritance, Kenai could very well retire at nineteen years of age and never have to work another day, but his mother would never allow him to do such a thing. He was a Beifong, not some lazy bum who happened to be born inside a wealthy family.

"Excuse me," a squeaky voice said from behind. They all turned around to see a skinny man holding a basket full of goodies which he placed on the ground next to Korra. "This is a delivery for Avatar Korra. Tarrlok sends his compliments and urges you to reconsider his offer,"

"Tell him I haven't changed my mind," Korra responded rather annoyed. The skinny man bowed and took off.

Bolin placed his fingers on his chin. "Who's this Tarrlok guy?" he asked before changing his facial expression to an angrier one. "Is he bothering you? Huh? Cuz' I could have a word with him. Let him know a thing or two and what not,"

Korra chuckled a little, something that became a rare occurrence ever since the Equalist rally. "No, it's not like that. He's just some guy who works with Tenzin in the council,"

"Oh good, good, that sounds better. I like that better," Bolin said while palling a little. He wasn't so sure about having a word with Tarrlok now that he knew that the man was a member of the council and not just some random individual. He would've gotten himself in big trouble, and after what he went through a couple of days ago, that was precisely what Bolin was hoping to avoid.

000

|Air Temple in the afternoon, a week later|

It was official. Tarrlok was pushing it BIG TIME. Ever since Korra refused to join him, the councilman basically bombarded her with gifts, which grew more extravagant as they continued to come. He even gave her a Satomobile, which was rather pointless considering that she was staying on an island and didn't have a driving license to begin with.

Kenai was annoyed as well. Tarrlok's insistence was irritating, but he already knew that the councilman didn't know how to accept a 'no' as an answer. One thing that he noticed was that, while Korra received tons of gifts, he received none, not even a letter. Don't get him wrong, Korra could have all of Tarrlok's gifts for all he cared, but that sent a clear message to the Sergeant: Tarrlok was trying to get Korra involved in his task force because he knew that if he succeeded, Kenai would practically be forced to join him as well. He would be killing two birds with one stone.

"Delivery for Avatar Korra,"

This time, Korra had enough and grabbed the skinny delivery man by the collar of his fancy clothes and threatened to push him. "I don't care how many gifts Tarrlok sends, I'm not interested in joining his task force!"

"It's not a gift, it's an invitation!" the man said quickly as he gave Korra a beautifully crafted letter. "Tarrlok is throwing a gala in your honor tomorrow night, and all of Republic City's biggest names will be attending. Of course, he expects you to attend as well. Good day, Avatar Korra," The delivery man then turned around and left without the need of being told to, as he was well aware of Korra's foul humor and had no intention of getting physically assaulted over an invitation.

Kenai overheard the conversation and approached Korra with his hands behind his head. "Tarrlok is throwing a gala in your honor? In what place?"

"It says here that it'll take place in City Hall. Why?"

Kenai sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Because that means there's another invitation in my house waiting to be opened. City Hall is Tarrlok's favorite place to throw a party, and he always invites the same people over and over again. Since I'm a Beifong, Mom and I constantly receive an invitation and given how it's one of the few chances I get to meet old family friends and what not, I usually go. It's not that bad if you manage to ignore the politicians and the fake celebrities lurking around,"

The Avatar looked a tad bit unsure. On one hand, she was fed up with Tarrlok insisting on having her in his task force, a task force she wanted nothing to do with. On the other hand… "So, you're actually going to this thing?"

"I might as well. I need a break from all the paperwork I've been doing anyway," he replied as a lightbulb suddenly appeared over his head. "How about you go as well? You have the perfect chance to tell Tarrlok to knock it off, and getting out of the island might do you some good,"

It was a valid point, Korra realized. She hadn't left Air Temple Island ever since the rally. While some people considered the Air Temple to be a bastion of history and cultural magnificence, there really wasn't a lot to do around other than practicing Airbending, which Korra had yet to learn. Things were getting boring, and perhaps going to the gala might help her take her mind off of things. It was also an opportunity to reject Tarrlok's relentless invitations to join his task force once and for all.

For all of those reasons, Korra decided she would go to Tarrlok's gala… There was also the fact that Kenai was going to be there too, but that had absolutely nothing to do with it. Nope, not at all.

* * *

|City Hall, next day|

"I can't believe this is all for me," Korra said in awe.

The City Hall was only used in the most important of events and it provided all of the needs of the richest men and women attending the gala, such as expensive drinks, overly fancy food, and a seemingly endless supply of waiters. The place was big and full of glamorous decorations. Because this was her first attending to a 'high society' event, Korra supposed she shouldn't go with her usual clothes. Instead, she wore a simple, yet elegant dark-blue Water Tribe dress provided by, surprise surprise, Tarrlok himself.

Korra entered the building with Tenzin and his family, all of them wearing a more elegant version of their everyday robes. Kenai attended the event with Lin, and the Avatar had yet to see either of the two Beifongs. While she was glad that Kenai was there, knowing that his mother was there too gave Korra a feeling of dread. She wasn't precisely looking forward to meeting her again, given the circumstances in which they first met.

"I am not sure what Tarrlok is plotting, but keep your guard up. It is not like him to throw a party just for the thrill of it," Tenzin warned. He had enough experience dealing with individuals like Tarrlok to know that politicians often celebrated parties and organized social gatherings as a way of making connections and strengthening the ones they already had in order to better pursue their political goals. Tarrlok was most certainly no exception to the rule.

Just as Tenzin finished talking, Tarrlok showed up. "I am so glad you could make it, Avatar Korra. If you excuse us, the city waits its hero," The representative of the Northern Water Tribe said as he pretty much dragged Korra around. The son of Aang was about to follow them, but then Meelo thought it would be pretty funny to use the punchbowl as a urinal and… well, someone had to intervene.

Tarrlok then introduced Korra to several of his guests, and to be honest, the Avatar struggled to tell them apart from one another as they all seemed to be equally dull and lame, to the point where she switched her mind to autopilot mode and engaged in the same conversations over and over again. Smile, bow, talk, bow again, leave, repeat. It made her wonder why would people ever want to go to a party if they were just going to do that all night long.

After saying goodbye to one of Tarrlok's guests (one who happened to be a remarkably creepy old man who suggested that a wedding between her and his grandson was the best idea ever), he led Korra to the center of the room where a man in his fifties was waiting for them. "Avatar Korra, this is Hiroshi Sato, founder and owner of Future Industries,"

"Nice to meet you," Korra said sweetly as she bowed.

Hiroshi bowed in return. "It is truly an honor to finally meet you, Avatar Korra. We are all expecting nothing but greatness from you,"

Korra's smile faded a little. "Right… Greatness…"

Her eyes went from being half closed to fully open as he recognized her teammate Mako walking towards her. He was wearing a tailor-made tuxedo that seemed to be waaaaaaay above his pay grade. The firebender was accompanied by a stunning woman with raven hair and porcelain skin, someone who could easily appear in a magazine cover. Bolin was there too, although the earthbender was too busy eating every single dumpling he laid his eyes on while asking the waiters to refill his glass with more leechie juice. "Hey Korra," Mako greeted her with an easy smile.

It was quite strange to see Mako smiling, although Korra supposed any guy lucky enough to have a date with a girl as beautiful as the one in front of her would be smiling too. "Mako? What are you doing here?" she asked not unkindly, but with undeniable curiosity as Mako's humble lifestyle and upbringing truly seemed to be out of place in such a high-class party.

"Avatar Korra, this is my daughter Asami. She met Mako a few days ago,"

"Mako has told me so much about you," Asami said with enthusiasm. "I can't believe I'm actually getting to meet all three of the Fire Ferrets,"

Hiroshi chuckled. "My daughter is a big fan of your Pro-bending team, to the point where she asked me if I could help the Fire Ferrets with their financial struggles, something I was more than glad to do," he said while Mako's smile grew wider. Korra now could definitely see why Mako was so happy. Not only was he going out with a beautiful girl, but that beautiful girl also happened to be the daughter of one of Republic City's richest businessmen. Who wouldn't be thrilled?

No one, that's who.

They were talking about aimless things when suddenly Hiroshi's eyes light up in glee. "Now, I believe this young man right here needs no introduction,"

Korra turned around and saw Kenai approaching them with a big smile on his face. Instead of a suit, Kenai was wearing his Metalbending armor as wearing tight outfits made him uncomfortable. The Avatar smiled as well, pleased to see a friendly and familiar face in the middle of this entire headache. "Hey Ken-"

"Kenai! It's so good to see you!"

Everyone except Hiroshi was stunned when Asami greeted the earthbender with a tight hug, one that Kenai returned. He even went as far as lifting the Sato heiress up while they were hugging and spun around, much to Asami's surprise and delight if her giggles were anything to go by.

Something which did not sit well with Korra. Not in the slightest.

"Hey there Asami, long time no see," Kenai said with a grin.

"And whose fault is that? It's been ages since you last came to my place. Do you have an excuse for being so rude?"

"Hey, don't blame me. I have to work just like everyone else. Well, maybe not like you, but like everyone else,"

Mako blinked a couple of times, not sure what to make of what he just saw. He had no idea Asami had already met Kenai, and he certainly wasn't expecting her to be that close to him. He would've grown annoyed had it not been for Hiroshi, who was smiling at them fondly. The firebender supposed the two of them knew each other from way back so it wasn't that big of a deal, but it was still surprising nonetheless.

The earthbender then shook hands with Hiroshi. "Mr. Sato, how have you been?"

"Just fine, and drop the Mr. Sato, will you? It makes me feel old,"

Kenai chuckled. "Sorry, I can't help it. I've been calling you Mr. Sato for so long it kind of got stuck," Kenai then nodded towards Mako and pronounced his name as a way of acknowledging his presence before turning around to see Korra. Her outfit definitely caught him off guard, and the way her dress accentuated more of her feminine side was enough to make his eyes go wide, even if only a little. "Hey Korra, glad you could make it,"

"I'm sure you are," Korra muttered, frowning and crossing her arms.

Kenai blinked as he had no idea what had gotten into her. He waited for a bit to see whether if Korra was joking or if she really was upset for some reason, and when Korra remained silent, he decided to focus on Asami and Mako instead. He would have to ask Korra what was wrong with her at a later date. "So, how did you two meet?" Kenai asked Asami before giving her a teasing grin. "You didn't run him over with your moped, did you?"

"H-Huhhhmm…" Asami's face suddenly matched her scarlet dress and Mako developed an awkward expression. Kenai's teasing grin faded away and was replaced by a look of horror.

"Wait, you actually did!? Spirits woman, how come you still have your license? I should arrest you here and now and make sure you never get on a moped ever again. I'd be doing the city a favor. Ouch!" he yelped when Asami slapped the back of his head. "What was that for?"

"For trying to be funny," Asami replied nonchalantly. They both stared at each other intensely for a minute before they started laughing their heads off. Korra's frown deepened as she let out a huff. Seriously, what was so hilarious about that?

The owner of Sato Industries spoke up as he placed his hand on Kenai's back. "As you can see, my daughter and Kenai are very close to one another. They used to attend the same school during their childhood and have been friends ever since. I, for one, am very glad by how their friendship turned out… Although, I would be lying if I said I never suggested Asami to go on a date with him," he added with quite a bit of mischief.

This caused his daughter to blush even harder than before. "Dad! Don't say such things out loud! What will Korra and Mako think of us?" she asked in complete embarrassment. Hiroshi couldn't help but chuckle at the scene, and Kenai was snickering too. "And no, me and Kenai have never been a couple. It was never even an option to begin with,"

Kenai nodded in agreement. "That's right. At this point, dating you would be like dating a cousin or something,"

And it was true. Kenai met Asami a long time ago during their first year of elementary school and quickly became best friends. Due to their privileged background and economic status, they attended one of the best educational establishments of Republic City, and they remained together until Kenai was old enough to enter the Cadet Academy. Asami, meanwhile, began to learn the secrets of her father's trade with hopes of one day take over Sato Industries as its new CEO. Regardless, the two of them remained close and kept in touch, unlike most of their classmates at that time.

As you might imagine, their friendly relationship used to be the source of endless rumors and flat-out fake news spread by the media. Journalists tried their hardest to convince Republic City that the daughter of Hiroshi Sato and the son of Lin Beifong were together by releasing stories that either didn't contain the whole truth or, in some cases, had no truth at all. That was when Kenai realized just how manipulative the mainstream media could be, and he began to openly criticize their actions and their lack of integrity. His opinion regarding that subject hadn't changed much ever since.

In that moment, Lin walked up to them, her facial features as soft as a boulder. The others didn't have enough time to say hello to her as she immediately got on Korra's face and voiced her thoughts. "Don't think that you're special just because the city is throwing you a big party. You've done absolutely nothing to deserve this," she said before acknowledging the presence of Hiroshi and Asami with a firm nod, one which was returned by the two of them. Ignoring the harsh glare her son was giving her, Lin walked away like nothing had happened.

Asami bit her lower lip. She knew Lin from when she was a child, and despite all of that, she still managed to get a little uncomfortable under her gaze. Lin was a tough woman who was both respected and feared by those around her. Of course, since she was Kenai's best friend, the Chief of Police was in good terms with her and her father, which was as close as they could get to her. However, Asami knew how hard Lin could be, and she would very much rather stay out of her way.

Kenai, however, wasn't going to tolerate his mother's insensitive behavior just like that. "If you'll excuse me, I need to have a word with Chief Beifong," the earthbender said as he left the group, his fists clenched.

Once he was out of earshot, Korra approached Asami and adopted a casual, spontaneous tone of voice. "Sooooo, you and Kenai are just friends? You've never gone on a date with him?"

Korra's casual tone wasn't going to fool someone like Asami who, unlike her, had a lot of experience in social interactions, especially when it came to boys. She instantly picked up on Korra's change of attitude as soon as Kenai entered the scene, as well as that flare in her eyes. Korra might be the most powerful bender out there, but she wasn't very good at hiding her feelings. Asami had to withhold herself from making a sassy or implying remark as she didn't want to tease someone whom she had just met. "That's correct. We're just good friends and nothing more," Asami assured her.

The Avatar let out a sigh. "That's good to know," About a split second later, Korra immediately regretted her choice of words as she now had Asami, Mako, Hiroshi, and Bolin (who had joined the group a while ago) staring at her with wide eyes. A devilish grin was growing at an alarming rate on Asami's face. "I-I mean… That is to say… It's good to know that Kenai has such a good friend like you by his side… It's not like I was… I would never… I think Tarrlok is calling my name," Without leaving behind a reasonable explanation for her behavior, Korra spun around and walked away at a fast pace.

"… Is it just me or that was kind of weird?" Bolin asked.

"That's an understatement right there, Bo,"

000

After twenty minutes of wandering around City Hall, Kenai finally found his mother in the second floor. Lin was enjoying a beverage near the stairs while glaring at Korra, who was talking with Tarrlok and another one of his puny and greedy guests. Wasting no time, Kenai got behind her and raised his voice. "Chief, was that really necessary?"

Lin turned around and raised an unamused eyebrow. "Would you care to elaborate, Sergeant?"

"You know what I'm talking about. Why did you say that to Korra? She hasn't done anything wrong to you ever since I promised to take care of her,"

Kenai was walking on dead thin ice. While his speech was completely respectful and appropriate, this was Lin Beifong Kenai was talking to, a woman who took crap from no one, especially not from a subordinate. Growing up as the son of the Chief of Police Department hadn't been easy for Kenai, who had to get over the fact that his mother was also his boss and that he would be forced to set his differences of opinion aside for as long as the two of them worked together.

"My opinions regarding the Avatar and her presence here in Republic City are none of your concerns, Sergeant. Keep that in mind the next time you're on duty. Now, unless you have something important to discuss, I would suggest you be on your way," Lin said all of that with a straight face, her eyes showing but contempt for Korra.

The younger of the two Beifongs had to bite his tongue as he saw his mother walk away from him. Since the day Kenai started to take orders from Lin, the two of them had agreed that whatever quarrel they had between them, it had to be discussed outside of their work. Kenai knew he had just ignored their agreement, but he couldn't help it. His mother hated Korra, the girl that he liked, and he couldn't just stand there while Lin berated her over nothing.

'I guess I should apologize to Korra on behalf of Mom,' Kenai thought as he returned to the main room. Much to his surprise, there were several reporters and photographers asking Korra several questions. A feeling of dread took over Kenai as he knew very well the only people allowed inside were the ones invited by Tarrlok, which meant that they were here because the representative of the Northern Water Tribe had allowed them.

"Avatar Korra!" a random reporter started to say. "You witness Amon take away people's bending first hand. How serious of a threat does he is to the innocent citizens of Republic City?"

"I think he presents a real problem," Korra responded after clearing her throat. Kenai could feel her uncomfortableness all the way from his spot.

"Then why have you refused to join Tarrlok's task force? As the Avatar, shouldn't you be going after Amon?"

"W-Well... I-"

"Why are you walking away from this fight?"

"What? No, I've never backed away from anything in my life!"

"You promised to serve this city, are you going back on that promise now?"

"Do you think Pro-bending is more important than fighting the revolution?"

"How do you think Avatar Aang would have handled this?"

"Are you afraid of Amon?"

Kenai gulped. 'Uh-oh,'

"I'm not afraid of anybody!" Korra shouted. "If this city needs me, then... I'll join Tarrlok's task force and help fight Amon,"

Tarrlok smirked. "There's your headline, folks!" he said as he looped an arm around Korra's shoulder, a perfect pose for the cameramen's to photograph. Tenzin closed his eyes in sadness while Kenai was breathing hard out of anger.

'That bastard!'

Once all the reporters had left, Kenai followed Tarrlok to the bathroom. He found the representative of the Northern Water Tribe washing his hands with a big triumphant smile on his face. "You set Korra up, didn't you?" Kenai asked with a glare.

The councilman had the audacity to feign ignorance. "I must say I have no idea what you are talking about, Sergeant Beifong,"

"Don't play dumb with me, councilman. You made those reporters ask Korra questions so you could make her nervous and get her to join you and, by extension, get me to join you as well. Your gifts didn't work, so you came up with this little idea,"

Tarrlok chuckled and kept his smile on. "Well, what can you do? Reporters nowadays can be quite... persuasive. And besides, why would Avatar Korra join the task force unless she knew for a fact that she could handle the job? I find your lack of faith quite disturbing,"

Kenai growled at him. For a minute, he thought that maybe kissing his job goodbye was well worth the price for assaulting Tarrlok, but sanity prevailed in the end. The only thing left to do was to follow Korra into the rabbit hole she had just entered. "I don't have much of an option now. I'm joining your task force, councilman," he said, swallowing his pride and feeling sick just by uttering those words.

If possible, Tarrlok's smirk became even smugger. "That is excellent to hear. We have our first meeting tomorrow night at ten. I believe you will be a great addition to ou-"

The earthbender turned around and left the bathroom before Tarrlok could finish his sentence. He simply couldn't stand being near him any longer, especially when the option of punching the councilman in the jaw had yet to be discarded.

* * *

A week and a half had gone by since Kenai and Korra had joined Tarrlok's task force, and while Korra was indeed gaining experience from real life combat, her relationship with Kenai had taken a turn for the worse. They barely talked anymore, and when they did, it was only during activities related to the task force. Aside from those activities, they acted almost like complete strangers towards one another, much to their dismay.

Kenai didn't know what to do anymore. He liked Korra and all, but her attitude and her refusal to talk about what was bothering her had finally gotten on his nerves. As a result, the earthbender decided to give Korra the silent treatment and ignored her presence despite how much it hurt. Kenai didn't like ignoring people like that, but until Korra was mature to deal with her problems like an adult instead of running away from them, that was exactly what he was going to do.

At first, the Avatar was confused and annoyed at him for giving her the cold shoulder for no good reason (at least that's how she saw it). The transition from having Kenai checking up on her all the time to getting ignored was quite stunning, but after a few days she decided to answer in kind and ignored him as well, which didn't make things better in any way, shape or form.

The ones who were also stressed by the situation were Mako and Bolin. The championship was getting closer each day, but the Fire Ferrets couldn't practice properly without their waterbender. The idea of making themselves the laughingstock of the competition after being sponsored by none other than Hiroshi Sato was too much for Mako, who assured the man they were going to win the championship one way or another. It was a good thing she started dating Asami, because otherwise, his already cloudy sense of humor would've died a long time ago.

Right now, Kenai was in his desk preparing his favorite tea beverage: Chimaru tea. Chimaru tea was a unique infusion that had gained quite a bit of popularity over the past few years and it consisted of tiny herbs inside a hollow gourd. Hot water was then poured inside the hollow gourd until it reached the top of the vessel. Once all of the herbs were wet, Kenai used a straw made out of bamboo to drink the strongly-flavored infusion. Chimaru tea originally came from the Earth Kingdom, but once Avatar Aang stopped the Hundred Year War, people from all over the world discovered this particular beverage and began to drink it as well.

The earthbender had just gotten back from working with his mother Lin. The Chief of Police wasn't completely on board with having her son working for someone like Tarrlok, and she regularly asked Kenai what was the task force up to. As soon as Tarrlok stepped out of line, Lin and Kenai would call him out on it once the time was right.

Once his tea was ready for consumption, Kenai began to slowly drink it, enjoying its bitter taste. He turned his radio on and started hearing Tarrlok's press conference after their successful encounter against a secret chi-training facility run by Equalists.

"… _That will be all from me. Avatar Korra will now answer some of your doubts,"_

 _"Question for the Avatar! Amon remains at large. Why have you failed to locate him?"_

 _"You want to know why? Because Amon is hiding in the shadows like a coward! Amon, I challenge you to a duel. No task force, no chi-blockers. Just the two of us at midnight at Avatar Aang's Memorial Island. Let's cut the chase and settle this once and for all. Let's see if you're man enough to face me,"_

For a brief moment, Kenai thought he was hearing things because of how mentally tired he was, but after a while, he realized with shock that what he just heard was exactly what is was. "Korra, you moron!" he shouted as he drove his fist into his desk, leaving a mark on the surface of the wood and spilling some of his Chimaru tea.

There was no time to waste. Kenai stood up, grabbed his coat and left the building as soon as he could. With some luck, perhaps he could knock some sense into Korra before she could commit a terrible mistake.

* * *

|Republic City docks|

"Korra, this is absolute madness," a desperate Tenzin said while Korra stepped on a motorboat. There were only several minutes left before midnight and the airbender didn't know what to do to make the Avatar see the possible consequences of her actions. Tarrlok and a few other members of his task force were there as well.

"Don't try to stop me and don't follow me," Korra replied. "I have to face Amon on my own,"

Tenzin then turned around and pointed his finger at Tarrlok. "This is all because of you, Tarrlok! You convinced her to do this!"

"Excuse me? I tried to talk her out of this nonsense several times, but she refused to listen to me," the Northern Water Tribe representative defended himself, and to his credit, he was actually speaking the truth. Defeating the Equalists was indeed one of his many goals, but Korra's decision to challenge Amon was far too risky and it could end up doing more harm than good.

In that moment, Kenai appeared riding his customized motorcycle. He took off his helmet and gave the Avatar an angry look. "Korra, what the hell do you think you're doing!?"

"I'm going to take care of Amon once and for all, what else does it looks like I'm doing?"

"Are you out of your mind? You're doing exactly what Amon wants you to do! You already know what he can do to you; you can't expect to defeat him all by yourself!" Kenai shouted before taking a deep breath. He tried to calm himself down and attempted to reason with her one last time. "Look, this is simply not a smart move. I know that you're scared of Amon, but even so, you have to-"

know you're scared but this is not-"

"I'M NOT SCARED OF HIM!" Korra shouted at the top of her lungs.

"YES, YOU ARE!" Kenai shouted back even harder as he finally exploded. Korra flinched at his voice. "In fact, you're not just scared, you're terrified of him! You've had nightmares of him, for crying out loud! But the problem is that you're far too proud, stubborn, and immature to admit it! And because of that, you've made a ridiculous decision!"

"What part of saving Republic City from the Equalists is ridiculous!?"

"Facing Amon all by yourself when you don't know what he's up to is ridiculous! Actually, it's not just ridiculous, it's downright idiotic!"

Korra just stood there in silence. "…You don't know what you're talking about," she muttered after a while.

Kenai couldn't take it anymore. He was officially fed up with Korra's fake bravado. "You know what? Do whatever you want. It's obvious that you don't give a damn about the people who care about you," he spat out before getting on his motorcycle and leaving the docks. If Korra wanted to confront Amon that badly, then so be it. She was the Avatar, she could deal with her own problems herself.

Korra left as well,waterbending her way to the Avatar Aang's Memorial Island. As she reached her destination, Korra was pondering about the things Kenai had just told her. She had never seen him so angry before. It really made her sad, but there was no turning back now. She was going to fight and couldn't afford to be distracted.

* * *

|Avatar Aang's Memorial Island, one hour after midnight|

Amon was nowhere to be seen.

"I guess you're a no-show, Amon. Who's scared now?" Korra thought out loud as she stood up and started to leave.

When she was near the exit, Korra suddenly felt something in her legs and tripped. She looked down and saw a whip coming from the shadows that dragged her into the darkness. She used her feet to burn the whip and quickly stood up. There were a total of twenty chi-blockers surrounding her with glowing red eyes. Before she could react, two other whips caught her arms and separated them, leaving her with only her feet to defend herself. With the use of her legs, she used Earthbending and Firebending to keep at bay as many chi-blockers as she could, but then two chi-blockers caught her off guard and started hitting her chi points, leaving her unconscious.

Korra woke up seeing nothing but blurry images. She tried to move, but no part of her body would respond. Some chi-blockers grabbed her arms and forced her to look up at the individual standing in front of her.

Amon.

"I received your invitation, young Avatar," the masked man said with a voice so lifeless and monotone that Korra began to panic. Her chest was pounding faster and faster. Amon lifted his right hand and started moving closer to her. "I apologize for my tardiness, but I didn't want to come unaccompanied. Now, shall we begin?"

Korra was petrified. It was literally her nightmare coming true. She couldn't do anything but watch how Amon was going to take her bending away. Closing her eyes, she remembered everything that Kenai told her. He was right. She made a terrible mistake and now she was going to pay the price.

"Amon!"

Everyone turned around to see a young man at the entrance. The young man was wearing Metalbending armor underneath a black coat. His face had a murderous expression.

"K-Kenai," Korra gasped.

The Equalist leader turned around to inspect the one who had just barged in. "Ah, you must be Sergeant Beifong. I have heard many things about you, mainly how much of a headache you are to the Equalist revolution. Your constant intervention has been quite troublesome, I must say,"

"If you're so fond of taking people's bending away…" Kenai replied as he took off his coat and assumed a fighting stance. "… then try taking away mine,"

"Is that a challenge?" Amon asked in an amused tone, or at least as amused as someone like him could sound. "I believe this is the perfect opportunity to see whether if you live up to your reputation or not. Men, take care of him,"

Amon made a quick hand gesture before hiding in the shadows. The chi-blockers immediately charged against him in a coordinated attack that would've taken by surprise almost anyone who wasn't used to fight people like them. However, this wasn't Kenai's first rodeo and knew exactly what he had to do.

The earthbender performed a forward summersault, jumping over half of the chi-blockers that were coming his way. As soon as his feet landed on the ground, Kenai sent a small shockwave that destabilized their position while using his seismic sense to have a mental picture of where each one of them was. Then, he took a deep breath and pulled out his two metal cables, each of them with a hammer-like tip.

The first two chi-blockers that tried to attack him ended up with a hammer to the face, or in other words, unconscious. Now that he had a bit of momentum going on, he proceeded to unleash what could only be described as a storm of metal upon Amon's henchmen.

From a very young age, Kenai had always been talented at bending metal. It was hardly a surprise considering he was a direct descendant of Toph Beifong, the woman who invented Metalbending and easily the best earthbender of her generation. It was the way he used Metalbending, however, what truly set him apart from the rest of his colleagues. Over time, Kenai developed a unique fighting style using his metal cables as two whips that seemed to go around him, striking everything they touched with incredible speed and strength. He came up with this concept of fighting after watching waterbenders move around while bending tendrils of water and, after countless hours of practice and several self-inflicted bruises, he finally managed to learn how to move around while using his cables in circular motions.

That was why Amon's henchmen were unable to even reach Kenai, as the earthbender was jumping, spinning, and moving around the place while whipping his opponents without mercy. Because he had the ability to control the length of his cables, Kenai was capable of taking down enemies who thought they were out of his reach, which was incredibly useful in situations like the one he was in right now. It was incredibly hard to find an opening given how Kenai was constantly switching from one place to another.

Kenai was a good earthbender, but in all honesty, Earthbending in general was not a suitable choice when fighting against chi-blockers. Earthbending was easily the most powerful element in terms of raw strength, but it was also the slowest of them all. Kenai didn't have what it took to battle against multiple chi-blockers through Earthbending alone, but Metalbending was a different story.

One by one, the chi-blockers were defeated, each of them with fractured ribs or a concussion. That was the intention behind Kenai's attacks: One strike had to be enough to leave his opponent out of the fight, or at least inflict serious damage. Once the last of Amon's henchmen was unconscious, Kenai stopped moving and returned to his original fighting stance. "Amon, I know you're still here! Show yourself!"

The Sergeant was exhausted. His fighting style was very effective and lethal, but it also had its drawbacks. The explosiveness of his movements and the speed with which his attacks were delivered drained his stamina at a dangerous rate. The longer the fight went on, the bigger his disadvantage would grow. Kenai knew this very well, and it was clear that Amon had the upper hand given how he had yet to move a muscle. Kenai, on the other hand, had just taken down twenty of his chi-blockers and was breathing heavily.

His gaze hardened when he saw Amon stepping out of his hiding spot. "That was quite an impressive performance, Sergeant Beifong," Amon said as he clapped his hand. "I can see now why you have brought my subordinates so many problems,"

"If you lay one finger on Korra, I'll kill you," Kenai threatened.

"Your skills are admirable, but your confidence is far too big for your own good," Amon replied, his voice unwavering. "As for you, Avatar Korra, allow me to give you one final warning: Our duel is inevitable, but the time has yet to come. I could take away your bending right here and now if I wanted to. However, that would only turn you into a martyr. Benders of every nation would rally behind your demise. But I assure you, once our showdown takes place, I will destroy you and everything you hold dear. Until then,"

Before Kenai could react, Amon threw a smoke bomb at the ground. The earthbender quickly took a step back and got ready to fight, but once the smoke was gone, Amon had already left the scene. He placed his hand on the ground and applied his seismic sense, only to find that the leader of the Equalist revolution was escaping the building and would soon leave the island.

Once he made sure Amon was gone, he approached Korra and placed his coat over her shoulders. The Avatar was still too weak to stand on her own. "Korra, are you okay?"

"You... You came here," Korra stuttered.

"I did. Did he hurt you or anything?"

"N-No... But, why?"

The earthbender looked at her questionably. "What do you mean by why?"

"W-Why did you came for m-me? You... You were really m-mad at me and I-I thought... I thought you hated me," she said as her voice was starting to break.

Kenai took a deep breath. "Yeah, I was mad at you, and I still am. But right now, all I care about is you being safe,"

Korra stared at Kenai for a moment before starting to cry. She hugged Kenai as hard as she could and he returned the embrace just as hard. Kenai placed one hand on her back and another on the back of her head. "I'm sorry. I'm s-so sorry," she said between hiccups, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "You were right. I am scared. I've been scared ever since the night of the rally. I... I was so terrified of him. I felt... I felt so helpless,"

"Hey, don't worry. It's okay to be scared. But you have nothing to fear right now. You're with me,"

"It's... It's just that I've never felt like this before. I... I don't know what to do," Korra said while sobbing.

"We'll figure it out together. The only thing you need to know right now is that I'm here with you. Look at me. Korra, look at me," Kenai said as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, making the girl direct her teary gaze at him. "I will never, ever let anyone hurt you. I promise,"

The Avatar gave a meek nod before going back to crying. Kenai held her body tight and allowed her to take out all of her fears on him. She had just gone through a terrifying experience and needed someone to be at her side, and Kenai knew it had to be him. He had no idea how he was going to handle things, but if there was one thing he was certain of, it was that he would always be there for her, even if he had to face Amon a hundred times over.

* * *

Aaaaaand that was chapter 5.

I like how this chapter went down. By the way, some of you have asked me things like who is Kenai's father and why is Tenzin his godfather (considering his sentimental relationship with Lin in the past). All of these things will be answered in the following chapters, so just sit tight and wait.

Just to let you know, the Chimaru tea that appears in this chapter is the Yerba Mate of the Avatar universe. Mate is a very common beverage here in South America and one of my favorite drinks hands down. I dubbed it "Chimaru" after its Portuguese translation (Chimarrão). It sounds more Asian that way, and it fits better into the Avatar universe. I don't know why, but I thought it would be funny to introduce Mate into the story. In case you've never heard of it, go to Google and search Yerba Mate so you can have a better picture.

Don't forget to Review, Favorite & Follow.

Peace


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6: PRO-BENDING AND ROMANCE**

* * *

(Disclaimer: I don't own A:LOK. I only own my OC's)

* * *

|Republic City Police Department|

Work, work, work, work, work.

The days that followed Korra's encounter with Amon had Kenai flooded with work. Upon his request, the Avatar took a break from the task force and focused on getting herself back together, which meant that Kenai now had to do longer hours and, as a result, spend more time with Tarrlok. He basically had to do twice the chores and spend twice as much energy while doing so.

Of course, this didn't allow him to skip any of his duties as the Sergeant of the Police Department. Lin warned him she would not tolerate low performances from her subordinates under her watch, especially not from her son. On top of working with Tarrlok's task force, he also had to make sure his work with the Police Department was up to Lin's standards.

If that wasn't enough, Kenai used the little free time he had to talk to Korra and discuss her feelings. He became somewhat of a confidant, someone who Korra could address her insecurities to. It was really tough for the Avatar at first given how she had never experienced any of this back in the South Pole, but eventually, her tongue loosened up and, little by little, Korra began to feel more comfortable talking about what she feared.

As you might expect, doing all of that left Kenai exhausted both physically and mentally, which was why he was currently snoring with his head on top of his desk. The Sergeant was forced to stay all night working on several reports, and even though most of the paperwork was ready, he gave in before he could finish all of it. Even the Chief of Police herself was starting to get worried as this wasn't the first time her son didn't make it home thanks to all of the work on his hands. Only the Spirits knew how much longer Kenai would be able to put up with it before he snapped.

"Sergeant Beifong…"

Kenai blinked a couple of times and grumbled a bunch of incoherent words, waking up to see who dared disturb his precious sleep. When his vision was clear, he saw the image of Tarrlok staring at him with a raised eyebrow, much to his displeasure. "What is it, councilman? I already sent you the files you requested yesterday," Kenai said without bothering to hide his annoyance. He didn't appreciate being woken up by Tarrlok out of all people. That was just poking the bear.

"It seems to me that your fatigue has gotten the better of you, Sergeant," the Northern Water Tribe representative stated as he looked at the huge bags under the earthbender's eyes. He could sense the smell of coffee coming from Kenai's mouth all the way from where he was standing. Honestly, the young man in front of him was a mess. "I would like to discuss something with you. It's about the Avatar,"

The earthbender straightened his back and stretched his neck. "What about Korra?"

"It's been over a week since she last worked with us. I fear that she might be developing second thoughts regarding her continuity with the task force. Do you know anything about that?"

"Korra took a break from the task force and she'll return whenever she feels the time is right. That's all there is to it,"

Tarrlok gave him a questioning look. "And for how much time will you be replacing her?"

"For as long as she needs it," Kenai replied without missing a beat.

"I see… You've been working an awful lot lately. You should know that your contribution here is greatly appreciated," Tarrlok said, to which Kenai raised an eyebrow in response. The Northern Water Tribe representative never bothered to praise anyone, at least not unless there was a reason behind his pats on people's backs. "Say, how about you take the rest of the week off? You look like you need a couple days' worth of sleep, as well as a bath,"

"… Thanks?" Kenai said, his voice filled with suspicion. He didn't like where this was going… Well, to be accurate, he did like the idea of a soft bed and a hot shower, but Tarrlok wasn't exactly known for being a good Samaritan towards others, even if that was the image Tarrlok wanted to project. There had to be something else.

Tarrlok waved a hand dismissingly. "Think nothing of it. However, I would very much like an answer from Korra by the start of the next week. I'm sure you understand where I'm going with this," he said before taking his leave.

The earthbender rolled his eyes. 'Ah, so that's what he wants,' Tarrlok wanted him to convince Korra to return to the task force as soon as possible. He should've seen this coming, but after all the paperwork and the stress, his mental faculties were noticeably strained and was unable to think clearly. Even his body was sore from all of the raids he participated in the last few days.

Well, whatever Tarrlok had in mind, it didn't really matter now. All Kenai cared about was going back to Air Temple Island and get some well-earned rest.

* * *

|Mako and Bolin's apartment|

The male members of the Fire Ferrets went back to their home after their morning practice routine, both of them feeling confident about his chances of winning the championship. Now that Korra was back on the team, their team dynamics had improved vastly and they truly felt like they could win the competition despite being the rookies of the event.

Mako and Bolin were glad to have Korra around, although they were curious as to what happened to her that made her change her mind. Just like many others, they heard the transmission in which Korra challenged Amon to a duel. No one knew what happened that night, and Kenai made it perfectly clear that they were forbidden from asking Korra any questions about her duel. Despite wanting to know more details, the two brothers respected Kenai's request and promised to ask nothing unless Korra brought up the subject.

Bolin was currently trying to calmly (the key word being trying) bath Pabu. Meanwhile, Mako was cooking dinner. When Bolin was done cleaning his pet, he turned to see his brother. "Sooo Mako, what do you think of Korra in a girlfriend sort of way?" he asked, trying to sound casual about his crush.

"I think she's great. I mean, she's cool, a great athlete, a good Avatar and a good friend. Why do you ask?"

"Ohhh nothing, just wondering," Bolin replied dismissingly.

Mako stopped cooking and stared at his little brother. "You're not thinking about asking her on a date, are you?"

"So what if I am? What's wrong with me being with Korra?" Bolin asked back.

"I think it's just a bad idea to date a teammate, especially during the tournament. Keep your head out of the clouds and your priorities straight, okay?" Mako said in an attempt to convince his brother to give up on his idea. He then recalled something he had noticed over the days and wondered if he should tell Bolin about it. In the end, he decided it was for the better. "Anyways, I think Korra has a thing going on for Kenai."

The earthbender looked at his big brother in disbelief. "Huh? What do you mean she has a thing going on for Kenai?"

"Exactly that. Sorry to break it up to you, but I think Korra likes Kenai and Kenai likes Korra back. If you ask me, it's just a matter of time before they start dating," Mako responded. Being unsupportive when needed was one of the hardest parts of the big brother job, but he had to do it. Maybe, if things were different, he might have encouraged Bolin to follow his heart and go for it. Unfortunately, things were not different and he preferred to avoid his brother getting his heart broken right now before it could get any worse.

However, Bolin was not one to be discouraged so easily. "Korra and Kenai? Mako, that's nonsense! I mean, what does Kenai has that I don't?"

"Bo, do you really want me to tell you?"

"Well, yeah,"

"Let's see. He has good looks, he comes from a wealthy and prestigious family, has a good job, a good salary, and to top it all up, he spends far more time with Korra than both of us put together. Face it, Bolin, Kenai has a way bigger chance of dating Korra than you do, that's just how things are,"

Bolin heard everything Mako said. It made sense, but that was not enough for him. "So what? Korra and I are perfect for each other. She's strong, I'm strong. She's fun, I'm fun. She's pretty, I'm gorgeous!" he said with utmost conviction. "You know what? I don't care what you think. I'm going to ask her out and that's it,"

The firebender sighed again. "I just don't want to see you heartbroken, Bo,"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it. You know what I'm talking about, Pabu. I'm talking about real love," Bolin said while holding his Fire Ferret close to his body. Pabu could only squeak at his owner's antics.

|Air Temple|

* * *

Korra and the Airbending kids were in the Air Temple filling the feeders of the lemurs. Jinora, hoping to figure out Korra's feelings towards Kenai, started talking. "So Korra, how are things going on with you and Kenai?"

"Oh yes, tell us all about the magical romance!" Ikki shouted in excitement.

The question was so out of nowhere Korra had trouble answering. "Wh-What are you guys talking about? There's n-nothing going on between me and Kenai," she stated as her cheeks acquired a faint shade of red.

In reality, Korra had been wondering about how she felt towards Kenai for the past few days. The problem was that she kept debating herself when she tried to decide whether if she liked him or not. So many questions pondered in her head, and whenever she answered one, ten other questions took its place. This had to be one of those so-called 'girl problems' she had heard about.

"Is that so?"

"Pema!" Korra shouted in panic as she saw Tenzin's wife approaching her with a knowing smile.

"Sorry, but I overheard you speaking about your unacknowledged feelings towards Kenai and I simply had to step in. Jinora and Ikki are still too young to have this conversation, but they'll eventually grow old enough to hear it, so I might as well practice it with you now,"

"But I don't like Kenai. I mean he's a great friend and all but... but..." Korra said as she struggled to put her thoughts into words.

Of course, Pema saw right through her. "Ikki, Jinora, can you please leave Korra and I alone? We need to talk about some things," The girls obliged, but not before bickering about 'things being unfair' and 'finding out one way or another'. When Pema was sure they were alone, she turned to face Korra. "Look Korra, you really need to realize that you like Kenai,"

"It's... It's just that I don't know if I like him, Pema," Korra started to say. "Every time I think about it, I get more confused and..."

"Korra, think about all the things you two have gone through ever since you met him. In all of that time, haven't you ever felt different around him? Haven't you ever wished to be more than friends with him?"

The Avatar took a deep breath and began remembering all of the special moments she shared with Kenai. Despite not knowing each other for a long period of time, they certainly had experienced quite a lot of stuff that most people wouldn't. Some of those experiences were deeper more meaningful than others, but at the end of the day, they all amounted to something.

One thing Korra couldn't deny was that Kenai was attractive. His black hair, his fair skin, and his green eyes were one heck of a combo. His handsome facial features had caught her attention the moment she met him during her first day in Republic City. Besides, considering that he was an active member of the Metalbending Police Force, it was fair to assume that he was in good physical shape, a trait which girls were always interested in.

He also seemed to know her better than most people, although that wasn't really a surprise as they had spent a good amount of time together. Kenai was smart, and he could tell from the beginning that she was scared of Amon despite her constantly claiming otherwise. He also understood that she wanted some freedom and gave his support even if he didn't fully agree with her decisions, something she had always found warm and thoughtful.

What truly made Korra look at Kenai with different eyes was the night during which she challenged Amon and, when all seemed lost, he came to her rescue. Despite being at an enormous disadvantage, Kenai never hesitated and not only was he able to take down twenty chi-blockers on his own, he then stepped forward and dared Amon to harm her, fully knowing that the leader of the Equalist revolution had the ability to take away his bending. He was the one that was there for her when she finally broke down in tears, something she hadn't done in a long, long time. For some reason, Korra was certain that Kenai wouldn't hesitate to drop whatever he was doing and come to her aid whenever she needed it, which gave her a sense of security she had never felt before.

Then there were other moments that wear clear signs, like that time when she got jealous of Asami for hugging Kenai, or that other time when she got extremely flustered when, after spending the night in the park, she woke up with her face just mere inches away from his. Any other person would've realized what was going on, but Korra was still a bit dense when it came to her feelings, thanks to the years of training she went through during her time back in the South Pole. Naga was her best and only friend (given how Katara was more of a grandmother figure), and a Polar Bear Dog wasn't going to help you much with that kind of problems.

Pema had to hide a smirk as she said the following words. "Let me rephrase the question: How would you feel if Kenai suddenly walked up here holding hands with, say, Asami? If they began to hug and kiss one another forehead right in front of us, would it affect you?"

It worked like a charm. The mental image of Kenai doing those things with Asami made her whole body tense. She tightened her fists and a thick vein grew on one of her temples. Obviously, she knew that would never happen given how Asami was dating Mako, and besides, they stated they never had any intentions of dating one another despite being close friends. But she simply couldn't help it. Just thinking about it irritated her to no end.

And that was when she realized: The only girl she wanted for Kenai to kiss, hug, and hold hands together… was her.

"Okay, you got me. I… I guess I do like him after all," Korra said in a whisper.

"See? That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Pema teased.

Korra suddenly felt nervous. "But... What if he doesn't like me back? I don't want to lose our friendship," she said with her face down. If Kenai didn't felt the same, their relationship would be ruined and all of their future interactions together would become incredibly awkward. The thought of being rejected scared her in a different way than Amon did.

Pema placed both her hand on Korra's shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. "Korra, I have no doubt that Kenai feels the same as you. I've seen the way he looks at you, and besides, I don't think someone like Kenai would go through everything he has done for you so far if you weren't special to him. You just have to let him know how you feel,"

"You really think so?"

"I know so,"

Korra looked up and her face brightened up considerably, feeling in pretty high spirits now that she knew what she had to do. "Thank you Pema, I don't know what I would do without you,"

After a brief hug, the Avatar spun around and stared at the boys' dormitory, where Kenai currently was. The Sergeant came back early from work and went straight to his room to get some well-earned rest. If she were to guess, Kenai was going to spend the rest of the day sleeping, and in case he didn't, Korra was smart enough to realize that the exhausted earthbender wanted nothing to do with the world right now.

She would have to wait for her chance tomorrow… right before her Pro-bending game.

000

|The next day|

"Spirits, this is just what I needed," Kenai said to himself, a relaxed smile adorning his face.

After sleeping all the hours that his jobs as a Sergeant of the Police Department and a member of Tarrlok's task force had deprived him of, Kenai woke up in the morning and enjoyed a long, long bath with steaming hot water. He felt so relaxed that he accidentally ended up sleeping another extra hour with a towel on his face. Of course, he made sure to clean the room before leaving as he didn't want the acolytes to do extra work because of him.

The breakfast was incredible. After days and days of eating takeaway food, Kenai could finally enjoy a proper home-cooked meal by Pema, who was undoubtedly better than Lin in the kitchen, not that he would ever say it to her face. He even prepared some of his Chimaru tea which he was currently enjoying outside.

Kenai finished reading the letter sent to him from the Police Station and sighed. Apparently, one of the new recruits screwed up big time during an assignment and was punished with a week-long ban from the force without his salary. Luckily for Kenai, the paperwork was already finished, but the signature of the Sergeant was missing, so he had to go down there and do a bit of work. As soon as he was done signing documents, he would go back to the Air Temple, sit near the fire and maybe take yet another nap before attending Korra's game.

Due to the snowy weather, Kenai had to replace his sleeveless hoodie with a dark green parka and started to wear gloves so his hands wouldn't go numb. After stretching his back, the earthbender grabbed his Chimaru tea and started walking to the docks. The great thing about his favorite beverage was that it was easy to carry around since the herbs were contained inside a calabash gourd that kept the high temperature of the water from dropping.

Once he was near the docks, he heard a voice from behind. "H-Hey Kenai,"

Kenai turned around and saw Korra was there. He greeted her with a smile, although he couldn't help but notice that Korra looked a little… uncomfortable. She was rubbing her hands together and her feet were, for some reason, unable to remain still. "Hey Korra, what's up? Ready for the big game tonight?"

"Yeah, just taking a stroll before the match is all. What about you?"

"I have to go to the station and run some errands. Tarrlok might've given me the rest of the week off, but Mom still wants me to keep up with my work. I just need to sign some documents, so it won't be much of a drag,"

"I see," Korra said as her eyes landed on the small gourd Kenai was holding. "What's that in your hand?"

"What, this? It's a little something called Chimaru tea. It's my favorite drink. Here, you want some?"

Korra took the small gourd with both hands and looked at it suspiciously. Thinking that there was no harm in trying it out, she took a small zip of it… just to spit it out in disgust. "Eeeww! It's so bitter! How can you like this stuff?" she asked. Had it not been for Kenai's presence, Korra would've chewed a bunch of snow from the ground to get rid of the awful taste in her mouth.

"It's a bit of an acquired taste," Kenai said between chuckles. He had a very similar reaction the first time he drank Chimaru tea. "I'm sure it'll eventually grow on you. Anyways, I have to go now. Good luck with your game tonight,"

"Wait!" Korra shouted as Kenai began to turn around, gaining his attention. "You see, there's something I've been meaning to ask you…" After taking a deep breath, Korra spoke again. "… Uhm, how are things going in the Police Department?" 'Darn it, why can't I ask him!? Buckle up and get down to business before it's too late!' the Avatar raged inside her head.

Kenai wondered why such a simple and mundane question was getting Korra so worked up. "Everything's normal, I guess. The Triads and the Equalist haven't done anything big as off recently, but I'll let you know if I hear anything interesting,"

"Riiiight… How's Chief Lin doing?" 'Aaaaaargh! What the heck, Korra!? Stop wasting your time and tell him how you feel already! He's gonna think you're weird! Oh Spirits, he's raising an eyebrow now…'

Kenai indeed raised an eyebrow, failing to understand what was going on with Korra. Nothing bad had occurred to his mother, and the girl from the Southern Water Tribe was far from being on amicable terms with her. The question itself was odd, but the tone in which the question was asked made it even weirder, as if Korra was trying to buy time or something. "I suppose she's doing fine. To tell the truth, I never thought you would ask me that. Now, if you excuse me, I have to go. Once again, good luck with your game, I'll make sure to buy some tickets on the way back,"

The Avatar watched hopelessly as the earthbender turned around and walked away from her, and honestly, she couldn't blame him for feeling weirded out. Pema gave her some solid advice, but even someone as socially inept as her knew she couldn't just walk up to him and openly tell him how she felt right out of the bat. At the same time, she was starting to make a fool of herself and Kenai had obviously picked up on that.

Gathering whatever courage left inside of her, she gave it one last shot. "Kenai, wait,"

Intrigued, the Sergeant turned around a second with a confused look on his face. "Yeah?"

"The thing is… we've known each other for a while now, and I've been wondering that maybe, if you don't mind, we could… you know, since we've been through a lot lately, it wouldn't be such a bad idea if we… tonight…"

"What's going on with you, Korra? You're not acting like your usu-"

"LookIreallylikeyouandweshouldgooutsometine," Korra said all at once, releasing all of the built-up tension in a rapid succession of words.

Kenai blinked a couple of times. "Sorry, what on Earth was that?"

"I said… I really like you and we should go out sometime," the Avatar responded slowly, her knees growing weaker by the second. While the feeling of getting all of that out of her chest was great, Korra felt like she was getting eaten from the inside. A tough girl like her wasn't used to show this much shyness. She couldn't even look at Kenai in the eye and instead looked at his boots.

'She… She likes me…' Despite being sure of what he heard, he still couldn't believe it. Korra was standing there asking him out on a date! It was so unexpected that Kenai's mind had trouble processing all of it and began rambling. "W-Wow… That is… I mean, that was something right there. I never knew whether if a girl would ever ask me out for a change, and I never thought it would be you. Not that it's a bad thing, but…" Kenai trailed off. He then glanced at Korra, who was starting to look pale despite her dark skin. "W-What I meant to say is yeah, Id' love to go out with you," he said a little louder than necessary.

Korra nearly gasped, her eyes wide in surprise. "You… You would?"

"Well, of course. We'll have a great time together, and besides…" Kenai took a deep breath and did his best to keep himself from blushing, although he could tell his cheeks were already at least somewhat reddish. "… If I'm being honest, I've wanted to go out with you for a while now. Tarrlok's task force has been keeping me extra busy, but now that I have some free time on my hands, I was planning on asking you out on a date, but I guess that won't be necessary any longer since you beat me to it… I like you too, Korra,"

The Avatar felt as if a ton of bricks had suddenly been lifted off her shoulders. She then let out a shy smile and involuntarily started playing with her pony tail, her eyes still fixated on Kenai's boots. "In that case, maybe we can do something together after my game?"

"Sure, that sounds fantastic," Kenai replied before acquiring a more sober expression. "Look, I really need to get going now. Like I said, I have to run some errands in the city, but I'll be back in time to watch your game against the Red Sands Rabaroos," After saying that, Kenai turned around and started jogging towards the ferry. He then stepped on the boat and left the docks, but not before giving Korra a few last words of encouragement. "Good luck, I know you'll do great out there!"

Korra slowly waved Kenai goodbye as the ferry took off. Once she was certain she was out of sight, Korra jumped high into the air and pumped her fist. "He said yes! He said yes!" she yelled in joy before allowing herself to fall to the ground where she began to do snow angels like a child. "He said yes," Korra whispered one last time with a goofy smile on her face.

* * *

|Pro-bending Arena|

As soon as the match between the Fire Ferrets and the Red Sand Rabaroos began, it was crystal clear that the rookies had the upper hand. The level of coordination and finesse displayed by Korra, Mako, and Bolin was comparable to that of a seasoned team that had been playing for several years. Mako was shooting fireballs with incredible accuracy while dodging left and right. All of his shots reached his targets while none of the shots taken by the Rabaroos got him.

Bolin was a heavy hitter. He wasn't fast enough to get out of the line of fire, but he was quick enough to defend himself and counterattack with staggering Earthbending that pressed the Rabaroos further and further into the edge of the ring. Hit hard, hit fast.

While the two brothers were definitely putting up quite a show, Korra's performance took the cake by a longshot. She was jumping, dodging, and throwing water at her opponents as if her life depended on it. It was like seeing Mako and Bolin combined. Her body reacted on her own, moving at the right time and going to the right spot in the ring.

The game ended fairly quickly as the Fire Ferrets worked like an oiled machine against the Red Sand Rabaroos, who were unable to withstand the torment brought to them right of the bat. With one final water whip, Korra threw the last of the Rabaroos out of the ring, putting an end to the third round and the overall game, with her being awarded the Player of the Match unanimously. They celebrated by a well-deserved group hug and went back to the locker room where they took off their helmets.

"Did we just rock that or what!?" Korra cheered.

"I'll say, this is by far our best game ever," Mako said with a rare smile that he only showed on special occasions. Even someone as broody as he would be happy after playing the perfect game. "And Korra, you were really pumped up out there too! Did something happen to you that made you perform so well?"

Korra's cheek turned slightly pink. "Oh, me? It's nothing. I was just really into the game, that's all," she said while scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. Mako suspected Korra wasn't being completely sincere with him but decided not to call her out on it. They won the game by a landslide and that was the only thing that mattered.

"The Fire Ferrets are practically champions already!" Bolin exclaimed while pumping his fists in glory.

"Be careful Bolin, this was only our first match. We can't get too confident or it might cost us the tournament," Mako said to the earthbender. "Though I'll admit this is one heck of a start,"

In that moment, Asami and Kenai stepped into the locker room, both of them smiling from ear to ear. "Congratulations! You were amazing out there!" Asami exclaimed as she ran up to Mako and gave him a tight hug. Kenai also hugged Korra tightly, something which neither Mako nor Bolin failed to notice.

"Asami's right, you guys were unstoppable," Kenai said. "Especially you Korra, you were the best player out there by far. What made you play so well?"

Kenai's question was actually quite innocent and came from pure curiosity, but it didn't stop Korra from blushing heavily as she confused the signals and thought Kenai was teasing her. After all, she was feeling pretty hyped up at the prospect of going on a date with him, but there was no way she was going to tell him that.

Once the Fire Ferrets had taken off their protective gear, Bolin took a deep breath, slicked his hair back, and began to approach Korra, who was still talking to Kenai. He was feeling pretty confident after the win, even more so than usual, and in his mind, there was no way Korra would reject him as they were perfect for each other. At least, that was the way he saw it.

He opened his mouth… but Kenai opened his first.

"… Anyways, I hope you're ready for our date, Korra. You're in for a treat,"

Mako's eyes widened considerably while Bolin's jaw reached the floor. He wasn't expecting to hear _that._

"Wait wait wait, you two are dating!? Oh Spirits, guys I'm so happy for you!" Asami squealed as she hugged both of them. "Kenai, when did you ask Korra out? How long has this been going on for?"

"I... I kinda asked him out today before the match," Korra answered.

Kenai grinned. "Yeah, pretty much. So Korra, you ready?"

"Sure, just let me go change first. Meet me outside?" the Avatar asked, receiving a nod from Kenai.

Korra left the room with a noticeable spring in her step. The warm smile on Kenai's face faded away as he noticed the inquisitorial, yet amusing look he was getting from Asami. "What?"

"When were you planning on telling me about this?"

"What are you talking about? You heard Korra, she said she asked me out before the game. Was I supposed to go to your mansion straight away and tell you about my date?"

Asami gave him a knowing grin. "You know very well that's not what I'm talking about. When I said 'this', I meant your feelings for Korra. You've liked her for quite a while now, haven't you?"

"Nice try Asami, but I know my rights and I'm under no obligation to answer to you," the earthbender stated. Asami was his best friend and someone whom he trusted with his life, but he would be lying to himself if he said she never acted obnoxious when it came to his love life. He didn't want to paint all women with the same brush, but they all seemed to have the unhealthy need to know who was dating who. "Look, we can talk some other day. I have to get ready for my date,"

"Oh, alright, but the next time we see each other, you're gonna tell me every little detail,"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Kenai replied while throwing his hands in the air in mock surrender. He then noticed Bolin was sitting on the benches with his head hanging low. "Hey Bolin, are you okay?"

Kenai flinched when Bolin showed his face. His eye was twitching, he looked paler than usual, and he had a twisted, almost psychotic smile. He was breathing heavily and Kenai could have sworn a thick vein grew in his left temple when he addressed him. "Me? I'm fine. I feel perfect. More than perfect. Why do you ask?"

"Huh… No reason at all," Kenai awkwardly replied before turning back and covering one side of his mouth so that Bolin wouldn't hear him whisper. "Mako, what's up with Bolin? He's acting weird,"

The firebender sighed. "Don't worry about it, I'll talk to him when we get home. You should go meet Korra downstairs. Good luck on your date,"

000

|Outside the Arena|

"So… Where are we going?" Korra asked dubiously as she and Kenai walked to where the earthbender had parked his motorcycle. The vehicle was a gift from Asami which Kenai received when he was given the rank of Sergeant. It was like a standard motorcycle from the Police Department but with a few extra customizations that suited Kenai's preferences.

"We're going to my favorite restaurant in the city. I figured you must've worked quite an appetite after a Pro-bending match, and it's been a while since I last went there. Trust me, the food they serve there is great,"

"Sounds good. I'm actually starving,"

The two benders sat down on the motorcycle. Kenai gave Korra a spare helmet as well as a confident smile. "You might want to hold on to me," Korra was more than happy to oblige and embraced the earthbender from behind. The engine began to roar and the couple left the parking lot of the Arena.

Fifteen minutes later, they finally arrived at their destination. It was a humble restaurant with lots of decorations and a warm homey feeling about it, one that made all customers comfortable as soon as they stepped inside. It was frequented mostly by teens around their age, as well as some elder couples here and there. A waitress greeted the two of them and guided the couple to a table that was located in one of the corners of the restaurant. It was the perfect spot where Korra and Kenai could enjoy a little privacy.

"I gotta say, I really like this place," Korra commented as she looked around. "Was this one of your errands that you had to run?"

Kenai chuckled. "In a way. I was going to grab a bite here after your match on my own, but since you asked me out, I decided to go here like I first planned but with some company instead... You know, I'm glad that we are here. I don't think I can remember the last time we hung out like this. It feels good to just relax for a while,"

"Yeah, I definitely needed a break from all this Avatar stuff. Right now, I just wanna' take it easy and have a good time," the Avatar said with a smile.

The same waitress from before approached the two of them and asked what they wanted to have. Kenai ordered the Komodo sausages while Korra ordered the giant Sea Crab, a particular culinary delicacy from the Water Tribe both southern and northern. The waitress nodded and went to get their orders ready, leaving two glasses of lychee juice on their table as a courtesy.

While they were waiting for their food, the two benders engaged in a conversation in order to get to know each other better. Since Korra didn't have much life experience due to the fact that she had lived almost all of her life doing the same thing in the same place, Kenai was in charge of coming up with interesting topics that both of them could relate to, as well as telling funny occurrences that happened to him ever since he became part of the Metalbending Police Squad.

"… So the guy not only accidentally dumped an entire bottle of ink on top of your mom's head, but he also threw away the files she'd been looking for all day because he thought they weren't important? What happened to him?" Korra asked, her eyes wide.

"No one knows for sure. He left Mom's office shaking and sweating. Two days later, he turned in his resignation letter. He never entered the building again, but knowing how dangerous Mom can be when she gets angry, I can't say I blame him,"

"You can say that again. Hey, does your mom know about… you know, this?" the Avatar asked awkwardly. She had been so hyped and excited about the date that she forgot Kenai was Lin's son, and it was safe to say that the Chief of Police had it out for her. A part of Korra felt joy as dating Kenai was, among other things, an act of sweet revenge against Lin. Another part of her was quacking in fear as… well, she was dealing with Lin Beifong. It was pretty self-explanatory.

"No. I didn't tell her about this, and it might take a while before I do. Believe it or not, Mom has always been protective of me, at least when it comes to my love life. She has taken an interest in every single girl I've dated, and not the good kind of interest. And with you…" Kenai trailed off. He immediately noticed the downcast expression Korra had developed and silently cursed to himself. It was clear that his mother's aversion towards Korra was going to make things harder between them, especially since her job as the Avatar was undoubtedly going to concur with Lin's job as the Chief of Police one way or another. In an attempt to lighten up the mood, the earthbender grabbed Korra's hand and squeezed it. "Hey, let's not worry about it for the moment. I'll handle Mom. In the meantime, let's just enjoy ourselves,"

The Avatar smiled and returned the squeeze. "Yeah, you're right. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

|Meanwhile|

"Bolin, for the last time, please get over it!" Mako shouted in frustration.

"No! I can't get over it, I don't want to get over it, and I'll never get over it!" Bolin shouted back from the couch as he continued to cry overdramatically.

Mako sighed. He knew that it would eventually come to this. Bolin had his heart broken because of a silly crush he had on Korra, a crush that was very one-sided. Because of that, he now had to deal with his brother's childish antics for the rest of the night and probably for the rest of the week. To make things worse, they had another game coming soon and Bolin was in no psychological condition to play at his fullest. "Look, I get it. You're sad because Korra and Kenai are dating. But I told you it was going to happen eventually. Believe me, it's for the best,"

"For the best!? How can you say it's for the best!?" Bolin cried once more.

"It's for the best because teammates aren't supposed to date each other. We have worked so much to get to where we are, and you dating Korra was simply not a good idea,"

Bolin grabbed a tissue and cleaned his nose before talking. "But... But... But it's just not fair! Kenai gets Korra, you get Asami, Bolin gets... no one!"

"Life isn't fair, Bo. We both know that," Mako said as he sat next to Bolin. "Besides, not only did Korra like Kenai, but she was also the one who asked him out. Had you asked Korra out on a date, she would've said no and things would've gotten weird between you guys. Would you have liked that?"

The earthbender looked at the floor before mumbling something.

"Well, would you?" Mako insisted.

"... No," Bolin muttered reluctantly. "It's just that I really thought I could've had a relationship with her. I guess I was wrong," he said before letting out a long, depressive sigh. Then, he grabbed his Fire Ferret mascot and started petting it. "At this rate, I'll end up dating Pabu,"

After hearing his brother's silly statement, Mako couldn't help it. Unwillingly, he let out a small chuckle which he immediately tried to pass it off as a cough. Unfortunately, Bolin heard it. "You just laughed at me!" Bolin shouted accusingly.

"What? I did not-"

"Yes, you did! Not even my brother takes me seriously!" Bolin declared before going back to cry even louder and much more obnoxious than before.

Mako stood up from the couch and sighed out of frustration. 'What did I do to deserve all of this drama?'

* * *

"I'll say, that was some meal," Korra sighed while rubbing her belly.

"No kidding," Kenai seconded. "I didn't know I could eat that much,"

The couple ended up ordering three dishes each, including some dessert. The food was so good they couldn't help but order a lot more than what they first intended to. Truthfully, Kenai was never that hungry, but seeing how Korra really missed eating Water Tribe food made him want to ask for more just to keep her satisfied. Besides, that girl had the biggest appetite he had ever seen on someone, to the point where Kenai could barely keep up with her.

He was about to ask for the bill when a certain someone caught his eye. "Oh boy, not him," he groaned.

"What is it?" Korra asked.

"Don't turn back now, but there's a guy in the corner of the room that's looking at us," Of course, Korra couldn't contain herself and immediately looked over her shoulder to see who was the one Kenai was talking about. A guy with purple hair surrounded by two girls and a couple of goons caught her attention, mainly because of the creepy grin that he was sending her way.

"You know that weirdo?"

"His name is Tahno. He plays for the Wolf Bats, Pro-bending champs for the last three years in a row," Kenai answered, annoyance all too clear in his voice.

The earthbender had already met Tahno during a couple of social events. Kenai was invited due to his privileged social status while Tahno was invited because, well, being a Pro-bending champion was a pretty big deal. Their first meeting ended up with Kenai never wanting to deal with him ever again. The guy was an insufferable prick who constantly bragged about his bending abilities. Not only that, but the Wolf Bats had also been accused of bribing referees in the past, as well as colluding with Buthaka in order to get easy matches against rookie teams.

A charming guy indeed.

Tahno then made his way to Kenai and Korra, followed by his two teammates. Kenai wanted to throw his arms in frustration. Why? Why did he have to deal with him during his very first date with Korra?

"Well, well, well, look who we have here. The chick from the Fire Ferrets and Republic City's poster boy. What a lovely surprise," Tahno said with a mocking smirk.

"Would you mind not doing this right now, Tahno? I know that you don't have anything better to do than being creepy and annoying, but we're in a middle of our date and we could really not use your company right now,"

"A date with the almighty Avatar? You keep surprising me, Beifong," Tahno chuckled before looking at Korra. "I heard the Fire Ferrets entered the competition. Tell me, how did a couple of amateurs lucked their way into the tournament?"

"What I would like to know is how you expect me to take you seriously with that ridiculous haircut," Korra retorted, much to Kenai's amusement.

The Pro-bending champion's eye twitched but quickly regained his cool. "You know, if you really want to learn how a real pro bends, I could give you some private lessons," he whispered in an insinuating tone of voice, leaning in closer to the Avatar.

"Cut it out, Tahno. I'm warning you," Kenai said with a glare.

"I got this," Korra assured the earthbender as she stood up. "You wanna' go toe-to-toe with me, pretty boy?"

"Go for it, I'll give you the first shot,"

Kenai grabbed Korra's hand, stopping her from doing anything rushed. He had already figured out Tahno's intentions. If she hurt him, Tahno would definitely tell the ones in charge of the tournament and the Fire Ferrets would be automatically disqualified for injuring the competition before the start of the event. "Korra, don't touch him. If you do, you along with Mako and Bolin will be kicked out of the tournament,"

For a second, Korra looked like she was going to punch Tahno across his face anyways, but then she let out a huff and sat down, still glaring daggers at him.

"That's what I thought," Tahno sneered. "Anyhow, my team and I should get going now. We might catch your lameness if we stay any longer. Good luck, you losers will need it,"

Korra was fuming as she saw Tahno walking away with his buddies. Her hands were trembling in rage. She knew that she would get in big trouble if she caused a scene, but letting that arrogant, conceited, insufferable douchebag get away with it just like that was… Spirits, she hated him! "What a jerk. I can't wait for the championship to start so I can kick his sorry little-"

"Korra, look around. You don't wanna' miss this," Kenai interrupted her, a mischievous grin on his face.

The Avatar was perplexed by his request but obliged anyway. She looked over her shoulder to where Tahno was. The waterbender was casually making his way out… but all of a sudden, a clicking sound was heard and Tahno's pants fell down, revealing a pair of purple boxers that matched the color of his hair. Tahno was so shocked and surprised that, in an attempt to pull his pants back up, he accidentally tripped over and landed on his hands and knees, further exposing his extravagant choice of underwear.

The customers' laughter soon filled the restaurant, Korra being the loudest of them all. Even the staff members couldn't help but chuckle at the scene, although they quickly covered their mouths in case anyone saw them. Tahno went red in the face and left the restaurant as quickly as he could, but not before hearing someone yelling "Hey buddy, nice underwear!" followed by even more laughter.

000

"Oh Spirits, that was the best thing I've seen all day," Korra sighed as she wiped out a tear. Her stomach was hurting badly after all she laughed, although it could've been thanks to all of the food she ordered. "How did you know that was going to happen?" she asked as they stepped out of the restaurant.

"Well, let's just say it's never wise to bother a metalbender who's on a date… especially if you're not wearing a belt," Kenai responded, a huge grin on his face.

After laughing their heads off yet again, the two of them spent the rest of their date visiting popular places in Republic City. Kenai figured that Korra hadn't had much of a chance to explore Republic City, which was a shame considering many tourists came there just to see what beautiful locations the big city had to offer. While it was impossible to visit every single one of them in one night, Kenai still showed Korra the main attractions.

Out of all the locations they went, Korra's favorite had to be Harmony Tower, a place that allowed visitors to get a panoramic view of the city. For someone like Kenai, who had lived in Republic City his entire life, the sight was pretty common. However, for someone like Korra, who had spent practically her entire life in the South Pole surrounded by ice and snowy buildings, the view was breathtaking.

As for Kenai, there were more interesting things to focus his gaze on… like Korra, for example.

* * *

|Air Temple Island|

Time went by and, before they knew it, they were already back in the Air Temple. Had it been for them, they would've stayed at least for a few more hours, but they knew they had to be back in the island before Tenzin could grow suspicious of them. The son of Aang was under the impression that the two young benders were celebrating the Fire Ferrets victory over the Red Sand Rabaroos with Mako, Bolin, and Asami. He had no idea what his godson and the Avatar were really doing, and there was no need for him to know… at least for the moment.

The earthbender escorted Korra to her room. There was a little bit of a sad mood going on as the two of them really wanted to spend more time with each other, and it was probably going to take a while before they could go out again. Korra had her Pro-bending matches to focus on and Kenai had a lot of work to do in the Police Department. Besides, he had to temporarily hide the truth not just from Tenzin, but from her mother as well… especially from her mother.

"I guess this is it," Korra said as they reached her dormitory. "Thanks Kenai, I had an amazing time with you,"

"Don't even mention it. You're the funniest girl I've ever been with. I just wish the night was a little longer,"

"Yeah, me too… Good night, Kenai,"

Good night, Korra," the earthbender replied as he started to walk away. Korra opened her room door.

However, after taking a few steps forward, Kenai turned around and saw Korra had yet to enter her room. She was just standing there, looking down at the floor as if she had forgotten something. Then, their eyes meet. Neither of them looked the other way, they simply stared at each other, green eyes versus blue ones.

Almost telepathically, they approached each other at the same time until they were finally close enough to share their personal space. There was a minute of silence, neither of them moving… until Kenai closed the gap between them and planted a kiss on Korra's lips. The Avatar's eyes went wide for a second before she closed them, returning the kiss with equal enthusiasm.

Kenai then hugged Korra and pressed her body closer to him. Korra responded by wrapping her arms around his neck, further deepening the kiss. Even if there was no tongue play involved, the kiss itself was still damn tasty. The two of them kept going at it until they were forced to separate due to lack of oxygen. At first, neither of them were able to fully understand what just happened. They kept staring at each other, breathing heavily, until they finally realized that they had done what they had wanted to do ever since the day they met.

"That was…" Kenai started to say, although he still couldn't think straight. This wasn't his first time kissing a girl, but none of them had the hypnotizing effect Korra had on him.

The girl from the Southern Water Tribe was even more dazzled. This was her first time kissing a boy and she never expected it to be so…

"I'll see you tomorrow!" Korra blurted out of nowhere before entering her room and slamming her door closed. Once she was inside, she suddenly felt an aggressive adrenaline rush kicking in and her heart started beating dangerously fast. The single thought of the kiss she shared with Kenai was enough for her head to start spinning.

A wild grin took over Korra's face as she sat on her bed. She covered her face with a pillow and squealed excitedly into it. She knew full well how girly it seemed, but quite honestly she couldn't bring herself to care.

Honestly, what a night.

* * *

Don't forget to Review, Favourite & Follow.

Peace!


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7: IBAKI**

* * *

(Disclaimer: I don't own A:LOK. I only own my OC's)

* * *

In the following days after Kenai's date with Korra, the Air Temple turned into a house of rumors and gossips. Apparently, some of the White Lotus guards spotted Korra and Kenai together, and while they couldn't confirm or deny anything, the time at which they arrived at the Air Temple was enough to raise a few eyebrows. It wasn't long before the acolytes of the island heard about the couple's little night out and, soon enough, everyone started speculating. The fact that something interesting rarely ever happened on the island made the gossips all the juicier.

The rumors of the Avatar going out with the son of the Police Chief eventually reached Tenzin's ears. The airbender confronted Kenai about this, and given how little choice he had, Kenai decided to be honest and told Tenzin the truth.

To say that Tenzin was uncomfortable by the revelation was an understatement. He had already accepted the fact that Korra was going to form bonds with the people she met, but there was a big difference between bonding with someone and going on dates. Kenai argued that he dating Korra wasn't going to make a significant impact on anything. Korra was still going to learn Airbending under Tenzin's tutelage and Kenai would still keep an eye on her.

" _Only now, it won't be just professionally speaking,"_ Kenai told Tenzin with a cheeky grin. The airbender was less than amused.

Still, there was nothing Tenzin could do about it. Those two had their own lives, and as long as their relationship didn't interfere with Korra's Airbending training, the son of Aang was forced to put up with it. In any case, the fact that his godson was now dating the reincarnation of his father was just… It gave Tenzin the creeps.

Kenai had yet to tell Lin the news, not because of how she might react, but rather because he couldn't find the right occasion. It was obvious that his mother wasn't going to approve of them being a couple, but honestly, Kenai couldn't care less. He was happy with Korra and Korra was happy with him. That was everything he needed to know and Lin had no right to keep them apart from one another.

However, not everyone was thrilled by their new relationship…

000

|Pro-bending Arena|

'What on Earth is happening to Bolin?' Kenai asked himself as he watched the game between the Fire Ferrets and the Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps. 'It's like he's going Hasook or something,'

The opposite team was, without a doubt, talented. Probably just as talented as the Fire Ferrets were. Mako and Korra were responding blow for blow, but for some reason, Bolin was doing more harm than good out there. He was constantly missing his shots, he looked disoriented, and he didn't seem to have the confidence that he usually displayed. The Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps took notice of that and they bullied him while keeping Mako and Korra at bay.

At some point during the game, Bolin got his shoulder busted by a disc and was consequentially thrown out of the ring. The referee stopped the match and signaled the healers to take a look at the earthbender's injury, who was still moaning in pain. While this was happening, the referee declared Bolin's injury had been clean and free of malicious intent, so the Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps were not penalized.

"Hey ref, we need to check on Bolin!" Mako requested all the way from his spot. The referee nodded and grabbed a megaphone.

"The Fire Ferrets are granted five minutes to corroborate their teammate's status and return with a substitute if one is required,"

Mako and Korra immediately left the stage while the members of the Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps regrouped in order to discuss their strategy. As soon as he and Korra arrived at the medical station, they saw Kenai was there too, having seen the incident all the way from the locker room. Mako took off his helmet and carefully made his way to his brother. "Bo, are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?"

The healer who was working on Bolin's shoulder removed the glowing water out of the earthbender and sent it back to a fountain nearby. "He has sustained no major injuries, but he needs to take it easy right now. His shoulder should be fine in a couple of days,"

"A couple of days?" Korra repeated. "We can't wait that long, you need to fix his shoulder right away!"

"Ma'am, I assure you I'm doing everything in my power to help your friend, but I can't perform miracles," the healer replied in a no-nonsense tone before giving Bolin a look. "I'm sorry, but unless you want to put your shoulder at an even greater risk, you have to call it quits for now,"

"Are you absolutely sure you can't go on?" Mako asked once the healer had left. He knew the answer to that question already, but he had to make absolutely sure of it.

Bolin got up from his chair and tried to perform a single jab. He winced and gritted his teeth in pain, placing his left hand on his bruised shoulder once he finished. "Nope. I can't play nearly as good as I usually do with only one arm,"

It was useless to try and encourage Bolin to play, Mako deduced. Bolin was still pretty heartbroken after knowing that Kenai and Korra were dating, and those feelings were getting in the way at the worst moment possible. If Bolin's performance was already poor with two working shoulders, only the Spirits knew how worse it could get with only one. "There's no other way around it. We'll just have to make do without you,"

"Actually, I have an idea," Kenai said all of a sudden, gaining the attention of his girlfriend and Mako. "Bolin, give me your equipment. I'll be your substitute,"

"Wait, are you serious? But Kenai, you don't know our game style, you haven't even played this sport before!" Korra warned him, only to receive a confident smirk from Kenai.

"That didn't stop you from walking into that ring for the first time, remember? And besides, I already know the rules, so as long as I follow them, there shouldn't be any trouble,"

There wasn't much that was left to discuss. They needed an earthbender to help them win and Kenai was a damn good one who knew what he had to do, or at least knew what he shouldn't do, unlike Korra during her debut as a Pro-bending athlete. Besides, even though Kenai was no sportsman, he was a cop with real-life experience in combat, so surely some of his skills would translate into Pro-bending.

They carefully stripped Bolin of his protective gear and handed it to Kenai, who removed some of his own clothes so that the equipment would fit. The earthbender was a little disgusted as he put on Bolin's helmet, which was covered in sweat. "How can you guys wear this all the time? It's super tight, and this is coming from someone who has to wear Metalbending armor on a daily basis,"

Korra shrugged her shoulders. "You get used to it. I used to wear way more uncomfortable stuff back in the South Pole," The bells rang loud and clear, indicating both teams that the break was over. "All right, time's up. You sure you can do this?"

"Sure. I wouldn't like to see the Fire Ferrets say goodbye to the tournament after all the hard work you guys have put into this,"

Before leaving the medical station, Korra gave Bolin one final glance. The earthbender promptly looked away as soon as his eyes met hers. It made the Avatar wonder what was going on with him as it was clear he wasn't just having a bad day related to Pro-bending, but rather at a more personal level. The Bolin she knew would at least cheer for them enthusiastically after being replaced by Kenai, but instead, he was being sulky and quiet, two adjectives that most certainly didn't fit his description.

As for Kenai, there was one thing that he was afraid of and that he hadn't realized until it was too late for him. Should the spectators find out Kenai Beifong was playing for the Fire Ferrets as a substitute for Bolin, it would cause a public uproar. He wasn't doing anything against the law, but the Police Department would most likely receive several letters asking why was the Sergeant of the Police Department playing Pro-bending all of a sudden. It was a headache that neither Kenai nor Lin needed.

'Well, it's too late to back down,' Kenai thought as he entered the ring. He took a deep breath and ignored the roar of the crowd. Dealing with pressure was a part of his job, but still, the feeling of being watched by hundreds of individuals around him was not a pleasing one. Press conferences were one thing, Pro-bending matches were another thing entirely.

As he got into position, he saw Mako looking at him. "Don't worry about me or Korra. Just stick to not getting hit and don't take any risks unless you absolutely had to," he heard the firebender say.

Kenai nodded. He appreciated Mako's direct approach. It made him feel like he was listening to a superior giving out orders, a sensation he was more than used to. Do this, don't do that. Specific tasks were the easiest ones to carry out.

"Are the two teams ready?" the referee asked. The two captains gestured they were. Kenai's belly tightened. "Then… Begin!"

DING DING DING

All of a sudden, the three benders in front of Kenai started to move, and the earthbender felt a rush of adrenaline taking over his body as he dodged fire, water, and earth. He couldn't focus on not getting hit and firing earth discs at the same time so he simply did what Mako instructed him to do and evaded everything that was coming his way, either by jumping or raising a disc that would take the hit for him.

It was tedious for him not being able to perform Earthbending the way he wanted to. Looking at it from a sport's perspective, using earth disks to compete was a completely reasonable idea, but as a means of attack, it was mind-bogglingly limited. Earthbending was so much more than throwing rocks, and being this constricted made Kenai feel awkward. It was a shame he couldn't use Metalbending as well, given how it was his fortitude.

However, years of training in both Earthbending and Metalbending sure came in handy, as once he got the hang of the game, he started to recognize the Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps attack pattern. The moment one of their opponents got in trouble, the whole team would quickly gang up on the disadvantaged adversary until they knocked him or her out of the ring. They had to be fast, otherwise the other members of the opposite team could take advantage of temporarily not being a target and knock them out first. It was a risky maneuver, but if the Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps were able to get this far, then it had to be effective as well.

'In that case…' Kenai slightly lowered his defenses and allowed himself to be pushed back by the waterbender from the opposite team. The Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps' firebender and earthbender did as Kenai predicted and started throwing their respective elements at him.

Before a disk could send him into zone two, however, Kenai destroyed it with a roundhouse kick and sent a disk of his own. The disk caught the Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps' waterbender off guard and struck her in her stomach. As she stumbled back, Mako shot a fireball at her with enough strength to knock her off the ring. The crowd cheered and clapped in favor of the Fire Ferrets.

There was no time to celebrate. With the waterbender out of the way, Kenai turned his attention towards the earthbender while Mako and Korra focused on the firebender. Without exchanging a single word, the Fire Ferrets managed to synchronize and agree on a simple but efficient strategy. Kenai managed to keep the rival earthbender busy while the two others overpowered the firebender. Their idea paid off as they gained more and more territory until eventually a sudden disk from Kenai sent the Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps' firebender into the water below.

The last member of the Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps didn't stand a snowball of a chance as a fireball from Mako, followed by a disk from Kenai and one final water blast from Korra was all it took to send the Fire Ferrets into the championship finals.

"Game over! The Fire Ferrets win!" the referee immediately announced.

000

"We did it! We are in the finals!" Korra shouted at the top of her lungs. The Fire Ferrets were celebrating their victory in the locker rooms, with Asami hugging Mako and Pabu standing on his two legs and jumping excitedly around the place. Kenai lifted Korra off her feet and the couple shared a quick but fiery kiss, making Asami squeal in delight.

"I gotta admit, Pro-bending is a lot tougher than it looks," Kenai admitted with a grin. "It's also a lot more fun than I expected. No wonder you guys are into it so much,"

"Does that mean you're gonna quit your job at the Police Department and start a Pro-bending career?" Asami asked.

"Nah, I think I'm gonna stick with catching bad guys and solving crimes. Besides, this was a one-time thing. I don't want Mom to find out I got involved in this,"

Bolin was the only one who wasn't celebrating. He was sitting by himself avoiding everyone's gaze, especially Korra's. Not only was he heartbroken by Kenai and Korra's new relationship, but he was also feeling quite embarrassed by how close the Fire Ferrets were from getting thrown out of the competition. If Kenai hadn't stepped in to replace him, who knew what could've happened.

Once the party died down, the Avatar went over to Bolin to check up on him. "Hey Bolin, what's gotten into you? You almost cost us the match!" she said not in an angry tone, but one that certainly demanded answers as Bolin's behavior was way too strange for her to ignore.

"M-Me? Yeah sorry, I just... I just have a lot on my mind right now," the earthbender meekly replied, his eyes still refusing to meet hers.

"Mako, Korra, could you please give me and Bolin a minute alone?" Kenai asked out loud.

Mako stared at Kenai suspiciously. "What for?"

"We need to discuss something very important and private. I think you know what I'm talking about,"

The firebender thought about it for a minute. He supposed Kenai was already aware of Bolin's feeling towards Korra and how sad he was now that she was dating him. Mako liked Kenai well enough and didn't mind having him around, but Bolin was his little brother. Should a fight arise between those two, he wouldn't hesitate to protect him.

However, Kenai didn't seem like the kind of person who would start a fight with Bolin or anyone for that matter. Kenai went as far as to risk his own life for Bolin's sake when he got duped into helping the Triads for cash, which in all honesty, could've ended in Bolin going to jail for taking a job offer from the Triple Threat Triad. He nodded and gestured Korra and Asami to leave with him. Korra seemed suspicious but decided to go with Mako and leave the questions for later.

Once they were alone, Kenai took a seat next to Bolin and looked at him straight in the eye. "Okay Bolin, are you gonna tell me what's bothering you?"

Bolin sighed. "It's not something you'd like to know,"

"It's because you like Korra too, isn't it?" Kenai's tone was so casual that it took Bolin by surprise. He began to panic as he had no idea what to do or to say, so he simply hung his head in shame, fearing that Kenai would hate him. Much to his surprise, Kenai's voice became softer and more relaxed than usual. "It's okay, I can see why you like her so much. I'm not angry at you, Bolin. Not in the slightest,"

"You… You're not?"

"Honestly, I would feel the same way you do right now if the tables were turned. It's never easy to be in your position. But still, you have to cheer up. Korra may not feel the same way about you when it comes to dating, but you're still her friend and she cares about you, as does Mako, Bolin, and I. Besides, Korra isn't the only girl in Republic City. I'm sure there are others out there who would love to meet a guy like you. It's not the end of the world,"

"I know that, it's just… You just don't get it. It's easy for you to say that when you already have Korra by your side. What if I don't get another chance to meet someone?"

"You will get another chance, Bolin. Trust me," Kenai replied. Bolin didn't look very convinced as he was still frowning and staring at the floor. Kenai took a deep breath and decided that if he wanted to make Bolin feel better, he had to reveal some of his experiences in order to get to him, even if it meant sharing things that were personal. "Bolin, I'm going to let you in on a secret, but you can't tell a soul about what I'm about to say,"

For the first time, Bolin dropped the long face and gave Kenai a curious look. "A secret?"

Kenai nodded. "You already know that Asami and I go back a long way. It might look like I've always seen her like a friend and nothing else… but the truth is, it wasn't always like that. I used to have a crush on her,"

"Wait, what? You used to have a crush on Asami?" Bolin asked in shock.

"Oh yeah. And it wasn't just a stupid teenage crush that lasted for a week or two. I've been pretty close to Asami ever since I was a kid, but when I turned fifteen, my feelings changed. My best friend became my love interest, and little by little, I managed to convince Asami to go on several dates with me."

"So that means… You and Asami used to be a couple!"

The Sergeant shook his head. "Not really. They were friendly dates, and we only went out like three or four times. Of course, I didn't see it that way back then. I thought it was only a matter of time before Asami became my official girlfriend, which was the one thing I wanted the most. But then, Asami talked to me and said that she wasn't feeling comfortable by the way things were going. She knew I liked her. To Asami, I was her best friend, maybe even a brother, but not someone whom she wanted to have a relationship with, at least not the kind of relationship I was aiming for,"

Bolin's gloomy attitude was replaced by astonishment and awe. He never expected to relate to someone like Kenai Beifong, the Sergeant of the Police Department. Up until now, the only things they had in common were their bending and their love interest in Korra.

"At first, I was pretty angry at Asami and myself. I was under the impression that, because I was her best friend, the least she could do was to give me a chance. I felt betrayed, and for some time, I didn't even want to see Asami, much less talk to her,"

"… What happened then?"

"With some help from Mom, I realized that being Asami's best friend didn't give me the right to be her boyfriend and that I was being a selfish brat. I apologized to her and asked for her forgiveness. Time went by, she started seeing other people, I started seeing other people, but we never stopped being friends with one another. What I'm trying to say here is that I do understand how you feel because I've been there before. I used to think that I would never find someone like Asami, and now look at me. Korra's my girlfriend and I couldn't be happier about it even if I tried. If it happened to me, then surely it will happen to you. Lighten up, Bolin,"

After hearing such a revelation, Bolin couldn't help but smile a little. It felt great to know that Kenai knew what he was going through and that he was willing to share some of his private life in order to make him feel better. Mako tried to comfort him, but he didn't really offer almost anything other than "get over it" and "toughen up". The fact that Kenai knew she liked Korra and still went out of his way to help him spoke volumes to the earthbender, who was starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel.

"And, since we're on the subject, how about this? If you promise me you will try and cheer up, I promise I'll set you up with the next girl you want to date. How does that sound?" Kenai offered for good measure.

It worked like a charm. Bolin got on his feet and vigorously shook Kenai's hand. "Alright, good sir! You have got yourself a deal!"

Kenai chuckled. "That's good to hear. Come on, let's get going. I have work tomorrow and I can't afford to be late,"

* * *

|Republic City Police Department|

 _Suspect name: Shen Mao_

 _Age: 29_

 _Bending: None_

 _Current status: Under arrest_

 _Family members: Unknown_

 _Criminal Background: Arrested for illegal affiliation to the Equalist movement. He was in charge of an underground chi-blocking training facility in Dragon Flats borough, though it is unknown whether if he was involved in other facilities throughout Republic City_

 _He has refused to reveal any information regarding Amon and the Equalist movement, and is expected to be found guilty for the crime mentioned earlier_

"Is this really all we could gather from the interrogation?" Kenai groaned as he went through the files of several criminals. "It's no wonder our investigation is running so slow. These guys are way too loyal,"

Shaking his head, he drank some Chimaru Tea and left the file on his desk. It wasn't easy to contribute to a case when he had to constantly switch his attention between the Equalist movement and the bending gangs. His higher-ups had yet decided what members of the department were going to focus on the issue at hand, and as a Sergeant, it was his duty to set an example and take the initiative, but it was always easier said than done.

"Sergeant Beifong," Kenai looked up and saw Saikhan standing in front of his desk. He immediately stood up and gave the man a military salute.

"Captain Saikhan, what can I help you with?"

"I was just done talking to Chief Beifong. She said she wanted to discuss something with you,"

Kenai raised an eyebrow. "Did she specify what she wanted to talk about?"

Saikhan shook his head. "It wasn't my place to ask, but if I were you, I wouldn't keep her waiting. You can go back to your paperwork later,"

"Understood. Thank you, sir," Kenai said as he bowed his head and left.

On his way to Lin's office, Kenai wondered what did her mother wanted to discuss with him. Unless he was unaware of a major event that had just taken place, nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be going on. Kenai assumed she wanted to talk about a future event, like a long-term plan to dissemble Amon's revolution. Whatever the case, it had to be important if Lin wanted to talk about it in private.

He knocked on the door three times, and once he heard his mother's voice telling him to come in, he did as told and entered her office. Lin was signings some documents and had yet to acknowledge her son's presence. "Chief Beifong, Captain Saikhan said you wanted to speak to me,"

When Lin's gaze met his, Kenai instantly knew something bad was going on. She had a look that said 'You owe an explanation and it better be a good one'. "Sergeant Beifong, you're here early,"

"There was some work that had to be done. Since I haven't been assigned to a new case, I figured I might as well make myself useful and try to get something done in the meantime,"

"Yes, I'm sure you did. The fact that our esteemed Avatar had practice this morning with that Pro-bending team of hers had nothing to do with it, I assume,"

Kenai raised an eyebrow. How did she know that? And where was she trying to go with this? "Korra had practice with Mako and Bolin and I offered her to drop her off at the Arena before coming here if that's what you're wondering,"

Lin crossed her arms and her gaze hardened, making herself look even more intimidating than usual. "For someone who values sleeping time more than anyone I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, that's certainly very thoughtful of you. It even makes me think that you're not just trying to protect the Avatar, but also to get closer to her, way closer than what you should be,"

"Chief, with all due respect, I don't understand what's so bad about me being friendly towards Korra,"

"Friendly, you say? Maybe you can explain to me why I overheard two members of the police talking the other day about how you and the Avatar were having dinner together not too long ago. That would answer many of my questions,"

'… Crap,' The Sergeant's eyes went wide as a knot began to form inside his stomach. Apparently, a random colleague had recognized him during his secret date with Korra, most likely a low-ranking officer. Despite knowing most of the people he worked with, there were simply too many law enforcers around and he couldn't possibly recall each and every single one of them. And of course, a gossip such as 'Chief Beifong's son is dating the Avatar' was quite juicy, so it was going to be spread around one way or another.

He opened his mouth, but instead of addressing his mother's question, he let out a grunt of discomfort and remained quiet. He didn't know in what territory he was in. Was this his mother or his superior talking? Because talking to his mother was very, very different from talking to his superior, despite the fact that Lin was both things. He wasn't supposed to talk back to Chief Beifong, but he could certainly have an argument with his mother or with anyone else for that matter. After all, Kenai was a Beifong just like her.

"So? I'm waiting,"

Since he didn't want to keep silent, Kenai attempted to go off on a tangent. "I was under the impression that these topics were supposed to be discussed outside of the workpl-"

"Don't you dare give me that nonsense, Kenai," Lin warned him. "I'm your mother and I demand to know what's going on between you and Korra, and if you try to lie to me, I will-"

Kenai threw his arms in the air and huffed. Yup, this was his mother talking. "Fine, you want to know what's going on between me and Korra? We're dating, that's what's going on,"

"Why you… When did you…" Lin's reaction was an absolute poem. The dumbstruck look on her face and her gaping mouth were worthy of a photograph. After stumbling over her own words for a bit, Lin buried her face in her palms and groaned before glaring at her son. "Honestly, what in the Spirit World do you think you are doing, young man? Are you aware of what you're getting yourself into?"

"Why do you have to make a huge deal out of everything?" Kenai retorted. "I said I'm dating Korra, not that I'm getting engaged or anything like that,"

"That's beside the point! You know very well how problematic that girl is! I don't want her around you!"

"Well that's too bad, because I want her around me, and it's my decision that matters, not yours!"

"You have some nerve… Can you at least give me one good reason as to why you want to date someone like Korra?"

"You want one good reason? How about I give you three? Reason number one, I like her. Reason number two, she likes me back. And reason number three, I'm a grown man and I will date whoever I damn well please!"

Before a full-blown shouting match could erupt between mother and son, Lin's radio picked up a random signal and began broadcasting a foreign transmission. _"Greetings, fellow citizens of Republic City. This is Amon, and I have a message for you. It is time people stop worshipping Pro-bending athletes as if they were heroes or pillars of our community. They are nothing but flashy benders who take advantage of their genetic blessing to inflate their own ego. As all of you know, I am an honorable man, and I like to warn my enemies before I make a move. Council of this city, hear me out: Unless you want to experience severe consequences, you will cancel tomorrow's Pro-bending championship final. You have twenty-four hours to broadcast a message aimed at the general public stating that the championship final will not take place. In case you don't, you will have given me your answer. Until next time…"_

Both Beifongs stared at the radio, which began to broadcast ordinary music as if nothing had happened. Once he made sure Amon's transmission had come to an end, Kenai spoke up. "That bastard… We can't let him get away with it," he said as he clenched his fists.

Even though he didn't care about Pro-bending all that much, he knew how much it meant to Korra, Mako, and Bolin. The Fire Ferrets had worked extremely hard to get to where they were, and now Amon was trying to take away their chance to become champions? No way, not if he could do anything about it.

"Amon was addressing the Council. If they haven't heard the message yet, they soon will. We have to get there before Tenzin convinces his peers to cancel the championship," Lin said as she grabbed the keys of a Satomobile from her desk. She was even more uninterested in Pro-bending than her son was, but no one, NO ONE was going to threaten her city like that, at least not while she was still around. "Are you coming with me?"

"I have my own ride," Kenai replied, showing his mother the keys of his motorcycle.

Kenai was about to exit the office, but before he could set a foot outside, Lin raised one finger and poked his chest twice. "You're not getting off the hook that easily, mister. We'll talk about this later on,"

His son rolled his eyes. "I know,"

* * *

|City Hall|

"The Council is unanimous. We are closing the Arena,"

"No!" Mako shouted.

"You can't!" Bolin followed.

Korra took a step forward and placed her hands on her hips defiantly. "I thought we were supposed to fight back against the Equalists, not to do what Amon tells us to do! This doesn't make sense!" she shouted as her voice echoed inside the room. She then gave Tarrlok and expecting look. "What about you, Tarrlok? You're not gonna allow Amon to walk all over us, are you?"

Tarrlok intertwined his fingers together in deep thought. "For once, Tenzin and I agree on this matter. My first responsibility is to ensure the safety of the citizens, and while I am all for bringing that lunatic Amon and his revolution to justice, I cannot and will not put innocent lives at risk just so that you and your friends can play a game,"

"Pro-bending might only be a game to you, but think of what it means to this city! Right now, the Arena is the only place where benders and non-benders can gather together to watch benders-"

"Beat each other up! In peace! It's an inspiration to everyone!" Bolin finished what could've been a very good argument from Mako.

"I appreciate your naïve idealism, but you're ignoring the reality of the situation. If placing the wellbeing of the citizens ahead of Pro-bending makes me a bad councilman in your eyes, then I guess I have no other choice but to be a bad councilman," Tarrlok declared with a tone that clearly indicated he had heard enough. He proceeded to grab a wooden mace and raised his arm. "I hereby declare this meeting to be o-"

Before Tarrlok could finish his sentence, a metal cable snatched the gavel away from his hand, preventing the councilman from officially putting an end to the meeting. The Fire Ferrets turned around and saw Lin holding the mace with Kenai alongside her. "I cannot believe I'm saying this, but I agree with the Avatar," Lin declared with a bit of a sour face.

"You do?" Tenzin asked incredulously.

"Yeah, you actually do?" Korra followed. Her day was getting weirder and weirder. First, Tarrlok was agreeing with Tenzin, and now Lin was agreeing with her? What was going on?

"To be honest, I expected this kind of cut-and-run response from Tenzin, but what about the rest of you? Come on, show a little more backbone! It's time for benders to display some strength and unity against these Equalists. We must show everyone Amon isn't in charge of Republic City and that what prevails here is the rule of law and order, not the words of a dirty criminal like him,"

Tenzin got up from his seat. "We must prevent the conflict between bender and non-benders from escalating into an all-out war! The Council is not changing its position," he said with finality. This was the first time in months the Council was unanimous in its decision regarding one of the many problems they had to face against the Equalist issue. Spirits knew that didn't occur too often.

"Now wait just one moment, Tenzin," Tarrlok suddenly stepped in. "Let us hear what our esteem Chief of Police and Sergeant have to say. Since it's their job to protect Republic City, we should at least take their opinions into account,"

Kenai exchanged glances with his mother for a brief moment before taking a step forward. "The way I see it, Amon is trying to test us. He wants to know how much influence he has in our society. This is much more than a simple Pro-bending championship final, it's about how we will react to one of his threats. If we capitulate with him now, imagine how the civilians will react. Imagine what they'll think of us,"

"They'll think that our top priority is to ensure their safety," the representative of the Fire Nation said.

"Wrong. They'll think that we're weak and incapable of dealing with Amon. We will lose a tremendous amount of credibility, and once that happens, Amon will have an easier time gaining followers because we will have proven his point. The Equalist movement is flexing its muscles, which is exactly what we should do,"

"But if we do allow the finals to take place, Amon is sure to take action. That man is anything but a bluffer," the representative of the Earth Kingdom argued.

"We already know that, and that is where we come in," Lin said. "If you keep the Arena open, my metalbenders and I will provide extra security during the championship match. Thanks to our armors and our experience dealing with them, we can fight the Equalists like no other bender can. We can distribute our patrols in a way that both the Arena and the rest of Republic City are protected,"

"Are you saying that you will personally take responsibility for the safety of the spectators and the Arena?"

"We guarantee it,"

Tarrlok placed his fingers on his chin, gaining the attention of the other representatives. "It IS difficult to argue against the track records of both Chief and Sergeant Beifong… Very well, if they are confident they can ensure the protection of the Arena as well as the lives of the spectators, then I am officially changing my decision. I, Tarrlok, representative of the Northern Water Tribe, vote in favor of allowing the championship finals to take place. Who else is with me?"

All of the Council members raised their hand as well, except for Tenzin.

"Chief Beifong, if you may…" Tarrlok said as he extended his hand. Lin used her cables to give Tarrlok his gavel back, which he then pounded on the desk. "The Arena stays open. Good luck in the finals,"

The Fire Ferrets and Kenai cheered after hearing the Council's final decision, although Kenai had to maintain a certain level of self-restraint since he was on duty and didn't want to pester his mother, especially since they were on rocky terms after touching the whole "Korra is my girlfriend" subject. Still, he couldn't help but smile broadly like he always did whenever he saw Korra excited over something.

Tenzin, on the other hand, didn't share the Fire Ferrets hype. Answering violence with more violence would solve nothing. If anything, it would only cause more of the same. He couldn't understand why Lin and Kenai, who were in charge of the safety of Republic City, would rather take Amon's bait instead of ignoring him. "Lin, Kenai, I need a word with you two," he said as he gestured them to follow him.

The airbender led them outside of the chamber and into a hall where they could have some privacy. As soon as they stopped, Lin gave Tenzin a harsh look. "Tenzin, don't waste your time trying to convince me otherwise. The Arena will stay open and that's final,"

"I know. There's no use in arguing with you, and besides, it's not like I can't nullify the Council's decision. I just want to make sure you two know what you're getting into. Amon will most definitely answer," Tenzin replied.

"We know what we're doing, uncle Tenzin. You don't have to worry about us," Kenai stepped in. "Keeping the Arena open is the best option, and if by some chance Amon decides to show up with his Equalists buddies, we'll stop the event and face him. Only the best of the best will be assigned to protect the crowd,"

"Even so, the best of the best may not be good enough. Remember, Amon has yet to display the full extent of his power, and we're giving him the perfect opportunity to do it,"

Lin narrowed her eyes. "Are you questioning the competence of my men?"

"You know very well that's not what I meant. In any case, I'll be by your side during the match so I can watch over Korra and make sure she's safe,"

"Do whatever you want! It's not like I've been able to stop you before," With that said, Lin stormed off, ignoring the troubled look on Tenzin's face. She even ignored Korra, who went out of her way to thank her for her intervention after the Council voted in favor of letting the Fire Ferrets play the finals.

"Excuse me Chief, I wanted to thank you for help back there. It really… means… a lot." When the Avatar finished her sentence, the cranky Chief of Police was already gone. Korra then turned around to face Kenai "What is her deal? Even when she's on my side she's against me!"

"Don't let it get to you, Korra. Mom is… Well, she's my mother. She's not the easiest person to get along with," Kenai tried to offer, but in reality, he was sick and tired of apologizing on behalf of his mother. Her rudeness and her lack of empathy outside of their workplace often lead Kenai into embarrassing situations.

"I've known Lin since we were children. She's always been… challenging," Tenzin said with a hint of uneasiness in his voice. He did not like where this conversation was going.

Korra was intrigued, to say the least. "What did your father do to make her hate the Avatar so much?"

"My father and Lin got along just fine. I'm afraid her issues are… with me,"

'Her issues are with him? What kind of issues could she probably have with Tenzin? It's almost as if…' Korra thought before she was struck by a bolt of realization. "Wait a second… It all makes sense now! Tenzin, you and Lin used to be-"

"-In a relationship together, yes, yes. Can we please not talk about this?" Kenai said as he raised his two hands in a "stop it" motion.

The look of utter displeasure that crossed his face was so hilarious Korra had to cover her mouth with her hand in order to stifle her giggles. "Oh boy, this is too good. What happened to Pema? Did Lin throw her in jail after your breakup?"

"Oh, she most certainly tried," Tenzin replied as he suppressed a shiver. To say that Lin didn't take the news of their breakup well was a massive understatement. That day, Tenzin discovered how destructive a woman with a broken heart could be, and for the sake of his wellbeing, he promised himself never to anger Lin ever again. "In any case, Lin and I were simply not meant to be. We were growing apart from each other every day. In the end, staying together would've only made things worse. I began a new relationship with Pema, and Lin found comfort in Kenai's father, whom… Never mind. I shouldn't be talking about this. I'll see you later,"

For some reason, the airbender left the scene rather awkwardly, as if he had screwed up something by running his mouth. Korra looked at her boyfriend, who had developed a more serious expression. "What was that all about?" Korra asked, only to have her hand grabbed by Kenai.

"It's nothing. Come on, lets' get out of here,"

000

|Outside of City Hall|

"So, I told Mom we're a couple now," Kenai said as he and Korra walked down the stairs of City Hall together.

The Avatar's eyes widened. "You did? How did she react?"

Kenai shrugged his shoulders. "I'd say it could've been a lot worse. She didn't ask me to break up with you or anything. There was some shouting here and there, but all in all, I think the ship is still floating,"

"You two shouted at each other?"

"Trust me, we get into shouting matches at least once every month or so. It's better to release all that build-up tension than to keep it inside forever, and we always go back to normal in the end. If you give her enough time, I'm sure she'll warm up to you eventually,"

The girl from the Southern Water Tribe held back a grimace. This was her first romantic relationship ever and she had to deal with Lin out of all people. How was that fair? Maybe Kenai could get into several arguments with Lin and still get her to love him, but that was because he was her one and only son. If anything, since she was now dating Kenai, the Chief of police had even more reasons to hate her. Talk about adding fuel to the fire. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I sort of can't stand your mother. I have no idea how your dad does it. Do they fight very often?"

All of a sudden, Kenai stopped walking.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did I say something?"

"No, it's just that… Well, Dad died years ago when I was a kid. I don't really talk much about him,"

"Kenai, I…" Korra's face fell. She didn't know how to react to that statement, not in the slightest. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea,"

"It's alright. You had no way of knowing. Almost everyone in Republic City knows about it, so it feels a bit strange to talk about Dad like that. You're fairly new here, so I don't blame you at all,"

"… Still, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up like that,"

The earthbender squeezed her hand tightly and gave her a warm smile, although even Korra could tell it wasn't completely genuine. "Korra, it's fine. It all happened a long time ago and I'm over it. Come on, let's go to the Air Temple. I'm hungry and I could use some time to relax,"

* * *

|Air Temple, next day|

"Hey Tenzin, do you have a minute?" Korra asked the airbender as she entered his office. Tenzin looked up from his papers and took off his reading glasses. "I was wondering if I could ask you some questions,"

"Korra, I swear, if this is about my past with Lin…"

"What? No, it's nothing like that at all… I mean, I'm still curious, but that's not the reason why I'm here," she replied. Korra looked over her shoulder to see whether if there was anyone that might hear her before carrying on. "Is there anything you can tell me about Kenai's dad? Did you ever meet him?"

Tenzin frowned. "Why do you want to know?"

"Kenai told me yesterday that his Dad died years ago and that pretty much everyone in Republic City knew about it. I know I'm being nosy, but I would really like to know what happened. I can't ask Kenai and much less Lin, so I figured you were my best bet,"

"I suppose there's no harm in telling you, but you have to promise me you won't talk about this with either one of them unless they bring up the subject. Do I have your word?" Tenzin asked the Avatar, who nodded solemnly. "Kenai's father was a man named Ibaki, one of the bravest, most talented members in the history of Republic City's Police Department. He was a true pillar to the community, a role model for Kenai… and a very good friend of mine,"

Korra's eyes widened. "Wait, you were friends with him? How close of a friend was he?"

"Korra, you already know Lin doesn't have the best opinion of me. Haven't you ever wondered how I ended up becoming the godfather of her only son?"

The Avatar scratched the back of her head while looking at the ceiling. That was actually a pretty good question. If Lin hated Tenzin so much, why would she ever allow him to become Kenai's godfather?

Being a godfather was more than just a ceremonial requisite. When someone became a godparent, they were expected to take part in the life of their godson or goddaughter, especially if the child's parents weren't there to raise them for whatever reason. It was a fairly common tradition practiced mostly by nobles and wealthy families such as the Beifong family, but in reality, any person could be chosen to be a godparent, regardless of social and economic standing.

"Ibaki convinced Lin to make me Kenai's godfather because he trusted in me. Lin was against it at first, but she understood how important it was for him and eventually agreed. Given the imminent dangers surrounding their line of work, I can't blame them for wanting to make sure Kenai always had someone to look after him. It turned out to be a wise decision considering what took place years after I became his godfather,"

Korra leaned in closer, eager to learn more about Kenai's dad. "What happened?"

With a dejected look on his face, Tenzin continued. "Eight years ago, a terrorist group launched an attack on Republic City. Their motivations were unclear. Some say they wanted to take control of the city while others claim they simply wanted to destroy it. Ibaki confronted them alone so that none of his comrades would be in danger. The fight took place in the docks, which ended up in major damage to the overall infrastructure of the vicinity. The terrorist group was successfully defeated, but sadly, Ibaki had to sacrifice his life in order to end the conflict. His body was never found, the only thing he left behind was his helmet,"

"His body was never found? How so?"

"The terrorist group attacked the docks and caused several explosions around the area. Since Ibaki's body wasn't found underneath the rubble, it must've gotten lost deep beneath the sea where it couldn't be reached. Lin searched for hours, but nothing could be done about it. She… She was never quite the same afterward," All of a sudden, Tenzin got up from his seat and walked over to the window to stare at the sea, turning his back on Korra. "Not a day goes by that I don't regret not being there to prevent his death,"

Korra remained silent as she took in all of the information. She could only imagine what was it like to lose a close friend and be unable to do anything about it. As a result of being heavily sheltered at the age of four, Korra never really bonded with anyone except for her parents, Katara, and Naga. The White Lotus's first responsibility was to make sure no harm came to her as she underwent her Avatar training, but they never really cared much about her development as a human being, which was why Korra could be a tad naïve at times, or even downright ignorant when it came to feelings and such.

But now, things were different. She was in Republic City learning Airbending and she was beginning to see just how different and complicated the real world could be. She now had friends and even a boyfriend, for crying out loud. She was surrounded by people who cared for her, not because of her Avatar status but because of her, well, Korra status. It was a learning experience in many aspects, because no matter how much she was taught back in the South Pole, the exterior would always be a better teacher.

After hearing what Tenzin had to say about Kenai's father, Korra was beginning to understand why Lin behaved the way she did. No matter how tough she was, her experiences could break any man or woman. Kenai was the only family she had left, and despite not being a mother herself, Korra could understand why Lin saw her as a threat of sorts. In a way, Lin was trying to protect her son.

"Thanks for talking to me, Tenzin. It's been a great help," Korra said as she stood up. It looked like Tenzin needed some privacy after talking about his lost friend and she had to get ready for the championship final. "You know, even if I've never met Ibaki, I think he'd be proud of how his son has turned out to be. You've done a good job with him,"

Tenzin looked over his shoulder and gave Korra a small smile. "I like to think that I have. It's the least I can do to honor his memory,"

* * *

Aaaand that was chapter 7 everyone.

I want to address something. I'm well aware that this chapter doesn't have a whole lot of action and I can completely understand if you weren't satisfied. I wanted this chapter to explore an important theme, which is who was Kenai's father. Obviously, an OC needs a background, especially if he's related to a canon character. This chapter doesn't fully explain who Ibaki was, but that's okay. It would be boring to define a non-present character all at once.

So yeah, I'm sorry for the lack of action, but hopefully, this chapter will clear at least some of your doubts. Besides, the next chapter will be packed with action, and I intend to make it as entertaining as I can to make up for all the talking.

Don't forget to Review, Favorite & Follow

Peace!


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8: THE PRO-BENDING CHAMPIONSHIP**

(Disclaimer: I don't own A:LOK. I only own my OC's)

* * *

"Do we have enough men surrounding the area?"

"Yes sir,"

"And have we interrogated every single one of the workers that are attending the game?"

"Yes sir,"

"What about the entrances? Are they properly secured?"

"They are, sir,"

Kenai nodded to himself. He was making sure to apply every security measure he could think of with the number of men he and his mother had at their disposal. They had to distribute every single member of the Police Department to make sure that not only the Pro-bending Arena was safe, but also the rest of Republic City. If they sent every single policeman to protect the championship final, they would leave the rest of the city unprotected, or in other words, ripe for crime and violence. "Good. Go back inside and tell the others to stay sharp. We can't allow the Equalists to slip into the stadium right under our noses,"

The recruit nodded and entered the stadium to do as he was told. Kenai let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair. Everything was running smoothly so far and there had been no signs of Equalist presence yet, but still, he couldn't help but feel a bit tense. If anything went wrong, both the general public and the Council would undoubtedly criticize the Police Department. After all, keeping the Arena open was his idea as well as his mother's, as they guaranteed the Council that they could handle the protection of everyone who was there either as a participant or a spectator.

'Let's just hope that we didn't bite more than we could chew,' Kenai wondered before shaking his head. There was no time for second thoughts. He was not going to allow Amon and his Equalist nutcases to ruin the championship finals and that was the end of the story.

Kenai found Lin inside the Arena staring at a construction drawing of the building, making sure that no entrance was left unguarded. They hadn't spoken to one another since their shouting match in her office, and while they would usually ignore each other for two or more days before smoking the pipe of peace together, Kenai simply didn't want to be on bad terms with his mother right now.

Seeing how there was no one around to hear them, Kenai approached his mother, who pretended she didn't see her son until he was right next to her. "You wish to speak to me, Sergeant Beifong?" Lin asked, not taking her eyes off the drawing.

"Not to you, Chief Beifong. I wish to speak to my mother,"

Lin left the drawings aside and narrowed her eyes, looking around to see if there was anyone within hearing range. Once she made sure they were alone, she faced her son and gave him a questioning look. "Very well, then. What is it?"

"I'm sorry for yelling at you yesterday. I lost my temper and stepped out of line," Kenai said, choosing his words very carefully. Everything he said could be used against him when talking to his mother. And technically speaking, she was the one who yelled first, but technicalities weren't going to fly when apologizing to a woman like Lin Beifong.

Lin crossed her arms and, surprisingly enough, her facial features softened upon hearing her son's words. "… I suppose I owe you an apology as well. You weren't the only one who got upset," she said, her eyes fixated on the ring.

Kenai had to fight the urge to smirk. Lin didn't always accept his apologies straight away, but whenever she did, it was because she had been recently planning on apologizing to him. He knew his mother better than anyone. His face turned more serious as he knew it was time to touch a far trickier subject, which was the subject that started their discussion in the first place. "Also, I want to talk about Korra,"

The face of the Chief of Police instantly turned sour upon hearing Korra's name. "What about her?"

"I know that you're not thrilled by her, and I'm well aware of how you feel about our relationship, but can you please set your differences aside and try to be more…"

"Gentle? Kenai, I realize that I can't stop you from dating that… girl, but you can't ask me to like her just because the two of you are together now. As far as I'm concerned, she's done nothing to earn my respect, Avatar or not,"

"That's the point. I'm not asking you to suddenly accept her with open arms, but I would really, really appreciate it if you at least tried to tolerate her. I know that you don't truly hate her, and she doesn't truly hate you either. If you give her a chance, I know that you two can… be on polite terms with one another," And to finish off his rant, Kenai took a step closer and gave his mother a pleading look. "Please, Mom. It would mean the world to me,"

At first, Kenai felt like he was pushing his luck by asking Lin to stop being so Lin towards Korra. That woman was well known for holding grudges against people, and being her only son certainly didn't give him an unlimited amount of leverage. But the sincerity in his voice spoke even louder than the words he uttered, and for a second time in a row, Lin lowered her defenses and listened to what her son had to say.

"I will see what I can do," Lin replied begrudgingly, almost awkwardly. "But I make no promises," she immediately said afterward, as if trying to maintain the image of a confident mother whose convictions were unwavering.

This time, Kenai couldn't help it and let out a grin. "Thanks a lot, Mom. I promise you won't regret it," he said before hugging her. Lin didn't push him aside but didn't return the embrace out of sheer bewilderment. Besides, Lin had never been comfortable with people being way too close to her personal space. Kenai realized he was still on duty and promptly ended the hug. "S-Sorry about that. I got a little carried away,"

"Indeed," his mother replied as she regained her composure. "Now stop goofing around and get into position, Sergeant Beifong. In case you haven't noticed, we have a match to supervise,"

"Yes Ma'am!" Kenai gave Lin a military salute as he stood upright before turning around. Once he left, a ghost of a smile graced Lin's lips. She shook her head and continued to stare at the drawings of the building, feeling how her shoulders were noticeably less tense than before.

* * *

"Glad you could make it in time," Asami said with a big smile as Kenai stepped inside a very elegant room which had several well-cushioned seats. "Here, Dad and I saved you a spot,"

"Thanks, Asami," Kenai replied while taking a seat next to her. Once the metalbender was sure every level of the Arena was properly protected and under vigilance, he slipped into the V.I.P. area where he could watch the game with Asami and Hiroshi. It certainly wasn't very professional on his behalf, but hey, it was partially thanks to him that the championship finals were happening in the first place, so he should be able to watch at least some of it. Besides, there were enough men to protect the V.I.P. area, so he was confident his presence wasn't going to be necessary. There was no reason for him to be worried.

Provided that Lin wouldn't find out, that is.

"I must say, the food in this place is wonderful," Hiroshi said as he entered the V.I.P. room with a bowl of snacks. "Ah, Kenai, you're here already. Would you like some?"

Kenai refused the bowl with a shake of his hand. "Thanks, but I don't like to eat while I'm on active duty. I don't want to get too comfortable,"

"You know, I wasn't sure your mom would allow you to watch the finals like this," Asami commented. "Does she know you're here?"

"My job is to look after the V.I.P. area. I should make the most out of it, wouldn't you agree?"

Asami smiled. "Can't argue with that. Besides, I know you wouldn't miss Korra participating in the finals for anything in the world. Then again, Mako is playing too, so I suppose the same thing goes for me as well,"

The lights of the Arena suddenly turned off, and the crowd roared in excitement. A single light illuminated the center of the ring as the presenter of the event stepped forward to announce the beginning of the championship finals. "Ladies and gentleman, the moment you have all been waiting for has arrived! Introducing the challengers: The Future Industries Fire Ferrets!"

The Fire Ferrets approached the stage in a moving platform, greeting the fans as they waved their hands. Thinking that neither her father nor Kenai were watching her, Asami blew a kiss to Mako followed by a wink. In the distance, Mako saw his girlfriend and did the same to her.

Kenai did not miss such a thing. "Get a room you two," he whispered into Asami's ear. The girl started blushing and punched Kenai's arm.

"Shut up you idiot!" she whispered back.

"Ouch! Hey, I was only joking… sort of,"

Kenai's eyes suddenly landed on Korra, who just happened to turn her head around to face the crowd. Their gazes met, and Kenai gave Korra a thumbs up paired with a wink. Korra smiled and did the same, much to Asami's amusement. "Who needs a room now, huh?"

"I'm encouraging my girlfriend, Asami, not making smoochy faces at her. There's a big difference right there,"

"Yea right, keep telling yourself that,"

The presenter turned around and pointed at the opposite side of the ring. "In the other corner, a team that needs no introduction whatsoever. The reigning Pro-bending champions for the last three years. Give it up for the White Falls Wolfbats!"

The crowd went crazy as several purple lights illuminated the spot where the Wolfbats were standing. Tahno and his two buddies were wearing elaborated costumes and Wolfbats masks, howling like the animals their team was named after. They even had fake wings to go along with the show. Kenai found the Wolfbats' introduction to be unnecessarily flashy, and a little freaky to be honest. 'Thank the Spirits Bolin didn't come up with the idea of dressing themselves as Fire Ferrets,' Kenai thought to himself. The image of Korra wearing a tail and a pair of pointy ears as she walked into the ring was quite ridiculous.

Once the referee had instructed both Tahno and Mako to play fair and to avoid any low blows, the bells rang and the game was officially on.

"Woohoo! Go get 'em, Mako!" Asami cheered.

Two minutes into the game and the Wolfbats had already proven to everyone how good they actually were. Even Kenai had to give them credit for their skills. They struck hard and they struck fast, keeping the Fire Ferrets on their toes the whole time. As a matter of fact, the Fire Ferrets rarely had the chance to attack, as they were too busy dodging and moving away from all the fire, water, and rocks being thrown their way.

But still, the Fire Ferrets were putting up quite a challenge. Even if they weren't moving forward, they weren't retreating either. The underdogs were matching each and every single attack with equal strength and passion, especially Korra, who was more determined than ever to teach Tahno's pompous butt a lesson he would never forget.

After exchanging a certain amount of blows, something strange happened. Tahno launched a continuous stream of water at Bolin, pushing him back to the third zone of the ring. Kenai narrowed his eyes. Was that move allowed in Pro-bending? It didn't seem very legit to him, and the booing of the crowd only increased his doubts. "Hey Asami, you're a big pro-bending fan, right? Can Tahno do that thing he just did?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course he's not allowed to do that! I can't believe the referee would miss an offense that blatant!" Asami said, clearly outraged.

Hiroshi nodded in agreement. "I'm far from being a Pro-bending expert, but that move certainly seems sketchy at best,"

Sketchy or not, the referee gestured the Fire Ferrets to move back despite Mako's complains. Kenai decided to give the referee the benefit of the doubt and assumed it was nothing but a mistake, a stupid mistake that shouldn't have happened given how this was the most important game of the year, but a mistake nonetheless.

Five minutes later, Ming, the Wolfbats' earthbender, controlled a disk from the Fire Ferrets' side and used it to attack Mako from behind. The Fire Ferrets' firebender was caught off guard as the disk struck his back hard, and was then pushed into the third zone when Ming sent another disk at him, this time from his own side. Once again, the referee allowed the players to carry on as if nothing had happened, earning himself the wrath of most of the spectators who, unlike him, were watching the game.

This time, Asami got off her seat and protested against the referee's incompetence. "This is ridiculous! Does this referee even know the rules? At this rate, the Wolfbats are gonna win for sure, all thanks to that… To that…"

"Sweetie, you have to calm down," Hiroshi said as he grabbed his daughter's hand. "Getting angry at the referee isn't going to help the Fire Ferrets in any way,"

"But Dad, are you seeing what I'm seeing? The Fire Ferrets aren't losing because the other time is better, they're losing because the referee has it out for them! How am I supposed to calm down knowing that the Wolfbats are cheating and no one is stopping them?"

Kenai wrinkled his nose. He didn't like what was going on. The Wolfbats had performed two illegal moves so far and the referee and the judges had somehow missed them. The first time it happened, Kenai supposed it had been a dumb accident, but now it was getting really, really suspicious. His mother had taught him to trust his instincts whenever he felt he was witnessing something fishy going on, and his instincts were telling him the whole game was rigged, or at the very least manipulated so that the odds would be in the Wolfbats' favor.

Just when things couldn't get any worse, Tahno used his Waterbending to send a stream of water at Bolin's feet. The stream of water quickly turned into ice and became stuck into the ground, something Bolin failed to realize until it was too late. When his feet touched the ground, he immediately lost his balance and landed on his back. Seconds later, he was struck by a fireball and was knocked out of the ring.

Did the referee do something? Take a wild guess.

"Okay, that referee is either blind or bribed. There's no way he could allow that last move," Kenai angrily stated. "When this match is over, I'm gonna have a few words with him,"

"Wait in line," Asami said equally frustrated.

"As the official sponsor of the Fire Ferrets, I cannot let this absurdity go unspoken. I shall also talk with whoever is running this show," Hiroshi said in a lot calmer way than his daughter and her friend, but just as exasperated.

To finish the game, a Waterbending-Earthbending combo knocked both Korra and Mako out of the ring. Kenai clenched his fists and was about to storm out of the room when he saw Korra was hanging onto the ring with one arm while holding Mako by the collar with the other. That meant that they were still in the game. Sacrificing herself for the team, Korra threw Mako into the ring. Mako took the chance and kicked a fireball to Tahno, who was distracted. This caused him to fall into the other zone, thus ending the first round. Kenai almost giggled in delight as he saw Mako winking at Tahno, whose left eye was twitching in an unnatural, unhealthy way.

The second round started and the Wolfbats did not seem to stop their foul play. Luckily, the Fire-Ferrets were able to hold their own without resorting to dirty tricks. It was announced that the second round was going to be decided by a tiebreaker. The referee tossed a blue and red coin and announced that the Fire-Ferrets won the coin toss, which meant that they were the ones who would choose with what element they would go with at the tiebreak. Korra stepped in and Tahno followed her.

Once they were facing each other, Tahno went for the kill straight away and shot a direct blast of water at the Avatar. Korra ducked down and sent her own blast of water at Tahno, but instead of trying to hit him right away, the blast of water went behind his back from her opponent's left side just to pop up from his right side and hitting him square in his chin, knocking him out and losing round two to the Fire-Ferrets.

Now that they were tied, the Fire-Ferrets needed to win two more rounds and the title was theirs for the taking. Round three started just like the previous round, with both teams going all for it. After a few minutes, Tahno placed himself behind the Wolfbats earthbender, who cracked a disk on his back for Tahno to pick them up with Waterbending. Using water with pieces of rock inside, Tahno shot three streams of water to the Fire-Ferrets who were knocked out of the ring. The referee stopped the match and declared the Wolfbats champions of the tournament for the fourth time in a row.

The Arena was soon divided into people cheering for the Wolfbats and people demanding the referee's head. Kenai himself was beyond pissed. He was aware of the fact that his job was to make sure the championship went without a hitch, not to do the judges' job. However, seeing such blatant favoritism from the referee towards the Wolfbats frustrated him to no end. "Its no wonder the Wolfbats have been champions all these years. This whole thing is a fraud!" he exclaimed.

Tahno, being the insufferable scumbag that he was, simply _had_ to grab the microphone and brag about his undeserved victory. "Look at that, I barely broke a sweat. Anyone else feels like messing with the champs?"

Kenai was seriously considering jumping down there and give Tahno a taste of his metal cables. Before he could go any further, a staff member of the stadium walked into the room carrying a silver salver with several glasses. "Excuse me, may I offer you a drink?" the man asked politely with one hand behind his back, addressing only Kenai and ignoring both Asami and Hiroshi.

The metalbender narrowed his eyes. "I can't drink while I'm on duty. What's your name?"

The waiter seemed surprised to be asked what his name was. "Unyo, sir. Is there something wrong? Am I coming in a bad time?"

"You tell me, Unyo. I gave my men orders to deny staff members access to specific areas of the Arena, including this one. And yet, here you are,"

"S-Sir, I can assure you that I saw no guards on my way here," Unyo began to say. "This is just a misunderstanding. If you want me to go, I'll take my leave now,"

Kenai retracted the sole of his boot and stomped his feet on the floor, activating his seismic sense. Unyo's heartbeats rate did not belong to a man who was telling the truth or experiencing confusion. He was lying. On top of that, he felt a strange unbalance in the man's body. His right arm was considerably heavier than his left one… "What are you wearing on your right hand?"

All of a sudden, Unyo threw the silver salver at Kenai, who slapped it out of his way. The drinking glasses were shattered and spilled their content all over the floor. Unyo then tried to get a hold of Kenai, but the earthbender reacted in time and grabbed his hands to stop him from getting any closer. It was only then when Kenai saw Unyo was wearing a strange metal gauntlet, but before he could do something about it, said gauntlet released an unexpected electrical charge. Sergeant Beifong hollered as his body was paralyzed in pain. His muscles started to feel incredibly rigid. Just before he could pass out, Kenai acted out of instinct and kicked the attacker away from him before dropping to his knees.

Unyo attempted to reach Kenai a second time, but he was stopped by Asami, who used one of her self- defense moves to throw him out of balance. Not expecting the helpless looking girl to confront him, Unyo fell to his lower back, and before he could get on his feet again, he was slammed into the wall and knocked unconscious by none other than Hiroshi. The old man still had considerable upper body strength despite his age.

"Kenai!" Asami yelled as he helped her best friend stand up, placing one of his arms around the back of her neck. "Are you alright? Can you talk?"

"… I'm fine, sort of…" Kenai grunted. With the assistance of Asami, he walked over to the end of the room and saw several of his men getting electrocuted by individuals wearing hoodies and masks to conceal their identities. They too had the same gauntlet as Unyo, which meant that this was a coordinated attack. It didn't take a genius to figure out who they were. "Damn it, it's the Equalists! How did they get inside the stadium? I made sure that the perimeter was well-protected!"

This was bad. This was really, really bad. Kenai and his mother assured the City Council that the Metalbending forces would look after the championship finals and guarantee the safety of each and every attendant. He couldn't believe how easily the Equalists had managed to incapacitate the members of the Police Force, even if it was a surprise attack. Most of the guards were down for the count and the crowds were terrified. It wouldn't be long before the Equalists took control of the stadium if they weren't stopped.

"Asami, take care of your dad," Kenai said as he retrieved his arm. "I have to go down there and look for Korra. She, uncle Tenzin, my mother, and I are the only ones who can stop this mess,"

"Are you out of your mind? You can't go in there, you're injured!" Asami shouted, but Kenai wouldn't listen.

"We promised the Council we wouldn't allow the Equalists to interfere with the finals. It's our fault that this is happening. I have to do my duty and fend them off, otherwise, we will all be in even bigger trouble," the Sergeant then approached Unyo, took off his gauntlet and handcuffed him before tossing the electronic device to Asami, who caught it with both hands. "You stay here and keep an eye on him. Gag him if you have to. I'll be right back,"

Asami was about to protest, but Hiroshi placed a hand on her shoulder and stopped her from following Kenai. "Sweetie, I know you're worried about him, but Kenai knows what he's doing. If we try to join him, we would become a burden. Let Kenai do his job,"

* * *

"Citizens of Republic City, I believe I have your attention," Amon said through the microphone, standing in the middle of the ring with his fellow Equalists chi-blockers. His voice resonated all throughout the stadium. "I warned the City Council not to allow the Pro-bending finals to take place unless they wanted to face dire consequences, but they didn't care to listen. Now, the consequences have arrived. No task force, no Police Department, no bender will stop us from achieving equality in the name of peace. The Equalist movement has remained in the shadows for far too long, but from this day forward, you can expect our actions to be straightforward and our voices to be heard loud and clear. We will keep confronting the supremacist establishment until we eradicate bending completely and permanently,"

Meanwhile, the Fire-Ferrets were tied to a column underneath the ring, hearing Amon's speech in utter helplessness. "I can't move. These ties won't let me use bending," Korra whined as she tried her hardest to liberate herself and her friend, but the ropes that the Equalist had used to tie them were insanely tight. She was considering using Firebending to burn the ropes, but Korra was afraid she would hurt Mako and Bolin in the process.

"How are we supposed to get out of here?" Mako asked in distress. "Does anyone have an idea?"

"Kenai!" Bolin shouted. Korra and Mako stared at Bolin for a second, not really understanding what he meant by that. It wasn't until they saw the Metalbender landing in front of them after attaching his cables to a nearby structure that hope returned to them.

Without a second to waste, Shujinko used one of his retractable blades to cut the ropes that were binding his friends. The retractable blade was a nice feature that had been added to the gauntlets used by the Metalbending Police Force. Through the use of Metalbending and performing a specific wrist movement, a sharp blade would be drawn out. It was the perfect tool for melee combat and other similar tasks.

"Thanks, Kenai! You're a real lifesaver!" Bolin exclaimed with a happy smile. Almost immediately afterward, Shujinko's body faltered and he almost fell to his knees, but Bolin and Mako managed to react just in time and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"One of those bastards tased me. My body feels wobbly and awkward," Kenai replied, a painful expression on his face. "Amon is here. I don't know how, but he managed to sneak in dozens of his men into the stadium. If we don't stop them now…"

Korra froze a small portion of the water below the ring and used it as a platform to see what was going on. The glass ceiling had been shattered, and a large airship was hovering still above the building. Several Equalists flags had been hanged by Amon's henchmen, who were fending off against a backup team of metalbenders. Amidst all the chaos, the leader of the Equalist rebellion was leaving the scene, using a rope ladder to reach the airship.

"I'm going after him!" Korra yelled before diving into the pool and coming back riding a waterspout to the top.

Meanwhile, Mako and Bolin grabbed each of Kenai's arms and placed them over their shoulders, helping him to move around. The Sergeant told the siblings to take him to the upper level where he would join his mother and Tenzin.

Fortunately, the backup team of metalbenders, led by Captain Saikhan, had managed to overwhelm the few Equalists who stayed in the Arena, no doubt according to Amon's plan. After subduing the remaining threats, the metalbenders organized an exit maneuver for the civilians. Before the start of the championship finals, Captain Saikhan had insisted on planning an escape route should things go south, which turned out to be a great idea seeing how everything got out of control.

"Uncle Tenzin!" Kenai shouted after reaching the upper level. Tenzin was making sure no civilian had been left behind when he heard Kenai's voice. He turned around and approached his godson.

"Thank the Spirits you three are alright. I was about to go looking for you,"

"Mom and Korra, where are they?"

"They are trying to prevent the Equalists forces from escaping as we speak. Amon cornered the members of the Wolf Bats and took their bending away. I had a hard time believing Amon wields this kind of power, but after witnessing it with my own eyes…"

CRAAAACK

All of a sudden, a huge portion of the glass ceiling was shattered, and Korra, who happened to be standing on it, fell along.

There was no time to think. Ignoring the sorry state of his trembling body, Kenai attached the end of one of his cables to a metal bar nearby before taking a gigantic leap forward. Almost half a second later, he managed to catch Korra with his arms and upper body, keeping her close to him. Once his grip on Korra had been secured, Kenai used his Metalbending to activate the frictional brakes of his device, abruptly stopping the fall.

Kenai gritted his teeth furiously. The staggering backlash that came with his heroic action made its effects be known immediately. Korra fell from the very top of the Arena and she was far from being weightless. The pull Kenai's right arm felt when he activated the breaks was so intense it nearly dislocated his shoulder. "You okay?" he grunted out.

"… Yeah. That was a close one," Korra replied, latching onto her boyfriend as hard as she could. "Thanks for the catch,"

"Anytime,"

* * *

|Outside of the Arena|

"I cannot believe this," Lin said, her eyes fixated on the Pro-bending stadium. Several members of the Police Department were rounding up the few Equalists who had been left behind and placing them inside a van while another team was assessing the destruction caused to the building. The firefighters were putting out the fire and several workers wearing protective gear were removing all of the rubble. "We selected our best men, took every precaution, but even so Amon managed to make a fool out of us. As Chief of the Police Department, I've never felt more humiliated,"

"You're being too hard on yourself, Lin. Amon tricked us all," Tenzin said as he stood next to her. "This day, the Equalist revolution has shown its true power. Amon and his followers are even more dangerous than what we imagined. We may have lost this battle, but the war is still not over,"

Kenai, who was staring at the stadium from a distance, tightened his fists until his knuckles turned white. He was partially to blame for this. He and Lin had promised the City Council that they were more than capable of dealing with the Equalist threat. Now, here he was, observing a building in ruins after failing to protect it like he said he would. His only consolation was that no lives were lost during the incident, and while that certainly mattered, knowing that he had placed lives in risk and that it all amounted to nothing made him feel utterly embarrassed.

'Dad, Grandma Toph, I don't know what to do,'

* * *

|Three days later|

 _Recklessness or inefficiency? Police Department's response following Pro-bending championship scandal_

 _The terrorist attack on Republic City's Pro-bending Arena has been the most controversial topic of conversation as of lately, not only because of the magnitude of the disaster but also because of the current political climate we are experiencing. There is a wide range of opinions regarding this matter, and while many condemn the actions of the Equalist leader Amon, others use what happened at the Pro-bending championship final as evidence that the Police Department cannot be trusted with our security and wellbeing._

 _After the unfortunate incident that took place three days ago, many have been left wondering how much blame does the Police Department has in all of this. It is said that the City Council's original decision was to stand down and avoid confrontation against Amon, but Chief Beifong allegedly convinced the City Council to allow the finals to take place under the promise of making sure no harm would come to spectators and participants who attended the event._

 _This, of course, did not turn out to be the case. Insecurity and discontent have been growing inside our community, and many are not satisfied with the work our Police Department has done so far to tackle crime and political disorder._

" _We understand the feeling of frustration surrounding the general public," Sergeant Beifong said during a press conference held after the Pro-bending championship finals. "There is no excuse for what happened. We assured the safety of everyone who attended the finals and we fell short of fulfilling our promise. I speak on behalf of the entire Police Department when I say we are the first to apologize. We are also the first to put our lives on the line for the sake of Republic City, and we swear to spare no effort to end the violence that the Equalist revolution has brought to our home,"_

 _Sergeant Beifong has been the target of some criticism as of recently. He has been accused of lacking commitment in his task to stop the Equalists forces. Many were expecting him to collaborate with Avatar Korra, who was also one of the finalists of the event. According to rumors, he was with Chief Beifong when the City Council made the decision to allow the championship finals to take place, and it is fair to assume that he seconded Chief Beifong's proposal._

 _It certainly makes people wonder what his late father Ibaki would have done to preve-_

Kenai closed the newspaper before tossing it over his shoulder, mumbling an obscenity. The Police Department's reputation had taken a severe blow, and while working under pressure was part of their job, tensions were running high this time and it really showed.

Thanks to the Equalist stunt at the Pro-bending championship, the Police Department was being smeared left and right by journalists, citizens, and even some of Republic City's political figures. They were being told that they didn't know how to do their job, that they were incompetent and that their negligence had placed lives at risk. When asked why they allowed the finals to happen after being warned by Amon, Kenai tried his best to explain that the Equalists were terrorists and that the Police Department had no tolerance towards terrorists, hence why they refused to capitulate to them.

Submitting to the Equalists was something Kenai absolutely refused to do, even if it ended up with things like these as a result. Sure, the Police Department gave the appearance of being irresponsible, but at least they didn't look weak. The moment they looked weak was the moment they would completely lose the support of the people. What they needed now was a victory against the Equalist movement, something that would either hurt or expose them badly. The few Equalists who were captured during the finals were currently being interrogated, and Kenai was pushing those in charge of the interrogations to apply harsher treatments at this point.

'Even if we're not winning, we have to at least make it look like we are,' Kenai thought, taking a zip of his Chimaru tea. He grimaced when he realized his tea was now cold and stood from his chair to get more hot water. When he opened the door of his small office, Kenai saw his girlfriend standing behind it. "Korra? Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked, allowing Korra to enter the room.

"What, can't I visit my boyfriend every once in a while?" Korra asked back. "Besides, I've never seen your office before. It's smaller than what I thought it would be,"

"Yeah, well, it's not like there's an awful lot to look at,"

Korra raised an eyebrow as she grabbed some random papers from Kenai's desk. "Am I coming in a bad time? You sound more stressed than usual,"

Kenai sighed, placing his hand on the back of his head. "Sorry, it's just… These last few days have been crazy. I haven't slept well, I get a migraine every two hours, and while Mom works with the higher-ups in private, she sends me to talk to the reporters on behalf of the Police Department about what happened. I don't want to complain about it because it was my idea too, but honestly, I'm exhausted,"

"I can see why," the Avatar replied, picking up the newspaper Kenai had tossed and quickly reading the headlines. As she skimmed through the article, her eyes widened slightly. The amount of inaccuracy and misrepresentation of reality found in the paragraphs was surprising. She even encountered some slight slander against Kenai, which aggravated Korra. "We both know the things that are said here are half-true at best. Can't you talk to the newspapers and tell them to cut it out?"

"It's not like I can put a muzzle on them and order them to stop criticizing the Police Department. If I did, all hell would break loose. Even if they don't know what they're talking about, censoring them would make us just as tyrannical as Amon is," Kenai said before rubbing his temples and letting out a groan. "I swear, I just want this headache to be over. I'm not sure I can keep all day like this,"

Hiding a tiny smirk, Korra left the newspaper on the desk and approached Kenai, who was in the opposite corner of the room. Taking him by surprise, Korra placed her hands on Kenai's cheeks and pulled him into a kiss. Kenai's eyes went wide for a second before exhaling through his nose and returning the kiss, his hands on her hips.

The kiss was smooth and warm. Korra couldn't help but notice that her boyfriend's lips tasted like Chimaru tea. It wasn't exactly pleasant, but Korra would put up with it if it meant making Kenai feel better. The poor guy deserved some cheering after all the crap he was going through. "There, feeling better now?" Korra asked once the kiss came to an end.

Kenai smiled. "A little, but I think I'm gonna need a couple more of those if I want to make it through the week,"

The Avatar shook her head. "We can go back to this later. Come on, let's get out of here," she said as he grabbed Kenai's hand.

"Where are we going?"

"Since the Pro-bending Arena is closed for the time being, I asked Tenzin if Mako and Bolin could stay in Air Temple Island. He agreed, and now we're going to tell them the good news. Besides, you need some fresh air. Don't try to argue with me,"

"I wasn't planning on doing so. Let's get going,"

* * *

Aaaaand that was chapter 8. Hope you all liked it.

Sorry for not updating this story in so long. I don't know why, but this chapter gave me a writer's block. Well, better late than never. Hope you have a fantastic day.

Peace!


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9: FALLOUT**

(Disclaimer: I do not own A:LOK. I only own my OC's)

* * *

|Mako and Bolin's apartment|

"I can't believe we're actually leaving this place after all this time," Mako commented as he placed his belongings inside a second-hand suitcase that had definitely seen better days.

After the Equalist attack on the Arena, the local authorities declared that the stadium was now officially an off-limits area for the time being and gave Mako and Bolin an eviction order. The place was undergoing reconstruction and it was too dangerous to have citizens residing inside, given than an accident could happen at any moment and the entire structure could collapse. The bending brothers didn't have much of a say in the matter and were granted a couple of days to abandon their home.

In all honesty, their apartment was far from being remotely fancy. It was humble at best. Half of the time the water didn't work and both Mako and Bolin had to endure painfully cold nights during winter since they didn't have a stove to help them get warm. It was better than nothing, and that was all the praise their apartment deserved. And yet, somehow, Mako and Bolin found themselves feeling a bit sad for having to leave. Their little apartment had been their home for the last years, and they had grown fond of it despite its many inconveniences.

"We had a good run here, didn't we?" Bolin asked, smiling halfheartedly.

Kenai and Korra, who managed to get inside the building after Kenai pulled rank on the security guard outside, entered the scene. "Hey guys, you'll never guess what," Korra announced with a big smile. "I talked to Tenzin and arranged everything so that you can come live on Air Temple Island. You don't have to worry about sleeping on the park benches any longer,"

Mako developed an awkward expression on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh… I mean, that's really generous of you and all, but-"

"But Asami already invited us over to her mansion! Isn't she the best?" Bolin finished, placing an arm around his brothers' shoulders. "From now on, no more cold showers and no more watery noodle soups. We're going to spoil ourselves rotten until we get sick of it,"

Kenai whistled. "You're going to Asami's mansion? I'm telling you, prepare to get blown away. You couldn't ask for a better place to stay at," As he said those words, Kenai stole a glance at Korra out of the corner of his eye, and she didn't seem all that thrilled. There was even a small frown on her face that indicated her annoyance.

"Why thank you Kenai," Asami said as she stepped into the scene, carrying a box full of Mako's and Bolin's belongings. "In fact, I was wondering if you two were willing to join us for today. Accommodating two more guests wouldn't be an issue at all,"

"Actually, we were just about to leave. Kenai has a lot of work to do and I have to attend my Airbending lessons," Korra replied with a hint of resentment in her voice, as if Asami had somehow wronged her.

This did not go past unnoticed by Kenai. "But we can totally crash in tomorrow if you'll have us. It's been a while since I last visited your place, and I'm sure Korra is going to love it. Besides, don't forget that I have a score to settle with you, Asami. I haven't forgotten how our last car race went," he said humorously, feeling the need to diffuse the tension as soon as possible. The last thing he wanted right now was bad blood between his girlfriend and his best friend, but to be fair, Korra was the one who was providing some degree of hostility, not Asami.

Asami's smile widened. "Well, it's adorable that you think you can beat me when it comes to racing, but you're more than welcome to try. So, see you tomorrow?"

"Sure. We'll be there for lunch. Right, Korra?"

"I'm not that sure. We still have to…" Upon seeing the looks she was receiving from her boyfriend and her friends, Korra finally gave in and forced herself to look convinced. "Alright, I guess we can have lunch together. I'll talk to Tenzin and let him know,"

"That's what I wanted to hear!" Bolin said before grabbing his Fire Ferret pet and bringing him close to his face. "What do you think we should get first, Pabu? Octopus fritters? Seaweed noodles? How about some Komodo sausages?" While the earthbender listed off all of the dishes he wanted to try, Kenai and Korra said their goodbyes and promised to visit Asami tomorrow. As they walked downstairs, the metalbender noticed the sour look on Korra's face and wondered what was going on in her head.

000

|Outside of the Arena|

"What's the matter, Korra?" Kenai asked once they stepped out of the building. He gave a quick nod to the guard, who lifted the barrier and granted them exit. "You look a bit upset,"

"Upset?" Korra repeated. "Why would I be upset? Mako and Bolin got themselves a place to stay with Asami. She's obviously going to give them all they could ever ask for and they'll be much happier living in a mansion. It's no wonder they were in such a good mood,"

"Yeah, but you still seemed a bit disappointed when they told you about it. Besides, that frown hasn't left your face,"

"I'm not frowning,"

"Are too,"

"Whatever you say,"

She _really_ wasn't going to make this easy, was she? Kenai was well aware of how stubborn Korra could be, and it didn't seem like asking her more questions would provide him with anything other than an even more miffed girlfriend. When it came to both his job and his social life, he hated when issues that needed to be addressed were left undiscussed, but he had to be smart about how he dealt with those issues. Kenai usually approached things in a straightforward fashion, but sometimes, a little subtlety went a long way.

So what did he do? Kenai didn't have a sister to explain to him how the mind of a girl worked, but he had Asami, which came pretty close to being a sibling. On one occasion while they were discussing their dating lives, she gave him some advice and warned him that, given certain circumstances, girls reacted positively towards a guy's indifference. It didn't make much sense to him at the time, but it looked like he could use that advice right now. Time for some reverse psychology.

"You're probably right. I guess I was just imagining things," Kenai said casually before going silent. The Avatar stole a glance his way, as if she was waiting for him to say something else, but the metalbender placed his hands inside his jacket's pockets without a care in the world and even began to whistle a short melody.

Once they reached the end of the street, Korra suddenly spoke up. "Asami is a really generous girl. Almost too generous, I'd say,"

"That she is," Kenai replied nonchalantly.

"And she's probably going to shower Mako and Bolin with luxuries,"

"Sounds like Asami alright,"

"And you're okay with it?" Korra asked while eyeing him suspiciously.

The metalbender shrugged his shoulders, avoiding her stare. "Sure. As long as they're happy being her guests, I don't see what the issue is,"

Korra pressed the corners of her mouth, as if trying to refrain herself from saying something. It was kind of annoying how Kenai couldn't figure out what her problem was. True, she did say she had no problems with Mako and Bolin refusing her invitation… but she didn't always have to agree with what she said, right?

"In any case, I should be heading back to my office," Kenai said as he sat on his motorcycle and started the engine. "If you happen to enjoy watching your boyfriend go through a mountain of paperwork, you're welcome to come with me, but I can imagine you have better things to-"

"I think I don't like Asami,"

Kenai stared at her girlfriend for a brief moment before stopping the engine. Even though he had already seen this coming, it still felt weird, mainly because Asami was one of the most likable persons he had ever come across and he couldn't find a reason as to why anyone would have a bone to pick with her. "Why don't you like Asami? Thanks to her, the Fire Ferrets were able to compete in the tournament. Besides, she's done nothing wrong to you,"

The Avatar let out an irritated sigh. "I know, I know. The Fire Ferrets owe her a lot. It's just that…"

"Yes?"

"… It's just that I feel like Mako and Bolin would much rather stick with her than to stick with me," Korra admitted. She couldn't help but feel tremendously guilty as she said those words, and she refused to meet her boyfriend's gaze. "The worst part is that I can't blame them. Those two deserve a break after all they've been through. But when Mako and Bolin started talking about Asami and her awesome lifestyle, I can't help but think that she's using her wealth to make sure the two of them stay with her,"

Against his will, Kenai began to frown. Despite how much he liked Korra, her tendency to misunderstand people's actions often irked him. He knew he couldn't fully blame Korra for it, because after all, anyone would turn out to be socially inept if they lived the kind of sheltered life his girlfriend had. However, if Asami were to be the kind of person Korra thought she was, did Korra truly believed he would've befriended someone like that in the first place? Of course he wouldn't have. Kenai knew Korra wasn't dumb, so that lack of critical thinking on her behalf was a little bit exasperating.

At the same time, the metalbender had to recognize he was guilty of something similar. Being raised by the Chief of the Police Department and becoming a law enforcer himself had taught Kenai to have some level of distrust for most people until he got to know them better. It's not like he automatically assumed strangers were criminals, but he had seen and dealt with plenty of liars and manipulators in the past, mostly because of his job. And while that kind of mentality allowed Kenai to stay on guard, it also gave him a rough time whenever he was introduced to someone new, especially when he wasn't on active duty.

"Do you… Do you think I'm a bad person for having these thoughts?"

The Sergeant of the Police Department blinked in confusion as Korra's question brought him back to reality. "Huh? No, I don't think you're a bad person at all, Korra. But at the same time, I think you're judging Asami way too quickly. Mako is her boyfriend, so it's only natural that Asami would want to help him and his brother out by letting them stay with her for the time being. She's an incredible person, and I'm sure the two of you could become friends if you gave her a chance. Will you do that for me?"

Korra tried to maintain a neutral expression on her face, but after staring at his eyes for a couple of seconds, she couldn't help but bit her lower lip. Darn it, did he have to look so cute when he asked? It didn't take long before Korra gave up. "Fine, I'll try to get to know Asami better. She can't be too bad if she's your friend, I suppose,"

"That's my girl," Kenai said with a smile as he got off his motorcycle and placed his hands on Korra's hips, bringing her closer to him. "Now give me a kiss,"

The Avatar let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "A kiss? And what exactly have you done to deserve one, if I may ask?" Korra replied with a tired voice, although the tiny smirk gracing her lips betrayed her.

"Nothing, but I'm pretty sure a kiss would help you get warm. It looks like this cold weather is making you shiver,"

" _I am shivering?_ In case you forgot, I was born and raised in the Southern Water Tribe. Maybe you city folks consider this weather to be cold, but to me, it's worthy of a hot summer's day,"

"Oh, I see. If it's not the weather, then I guess it must be me. What's the problem, Korra? Am I making you nervous?"

"You wish," the Avatar replied before placing her lips against Kenai's. The metalbender leaned forward, deepening the kiss with gusto, to which Korra replied by putting her arms around Kenai's neck and bringing him closer to her body. The two benders kept going at it until they ran out of breath, and when they did, Korra rested her head on his boyfriend's chest while Kenai held her tightly. Surprisingly for Korra, she did start to feel warm inside after the kiss… Not that she was about to admit it.

* * *

|Sato estate, next day|

The Sato estate was just about everything Korra expected from someone as rich as Asami: Huge, luxurious, and expensive beyond her imagination.

The place was located inside the wealthiest neighborhood in all of Republic City, where multiple other mansions had been built by some of the richest families in town. Of course, this particular neighborhood was so exclusive that it wasn't easy to get to on foot, mainly because it was in one of the few rural areas of Republic City with hills and pasture that contrasted heavily against most of the city's dull and gray districts. Kenai could see himself retiring from duty at an old age and living the rest of his life in a place like this.

Upon reaching the main gates, Kenai waved at the old man in charge of the entrance, who waved back at him and pressed a button that opened the gates, allowing them to enter. "That guy didn't even ask for your name," Korra noticed.

"He already knows my name. He and I go way back," Kenai responded before hitting the gas pedal. Hiroshi was very concerned with the security of his estate, and had instructed the staff members who worked for him to let him or her daughter know of each and every visitor that came to his house, but since Kenai had been such a regular guest of Asami for years now, there was no need to inform of his arrival.

Kenai parked his motorcycle near the marble stairs of the front door. The mansion in front of Korra was so big and fancy she could almost smell money from the walls. Kenai knocked on the door three times before they were opened from inside the house by a skinny butler whose hair seemed to be balding way too early. "Master Beifong, what a pleasant surprise," the butler said with barely any enthusiasm.

"Hello, Mr. Weing," Kenai replied. Weing had been working as a butler for the Sato family for a couple of years now, and for some reason, Kenai had never been able to warm up to him. Weing wasn't mean or offensive, and he did his job just fine, but he was way too serious and formal for Kenai's taste. "We came to see our friends. They're here, right?"

"Miss Sato and her guests are in the pool. This way, please,"

As they followed the butler, Korra looked at her surroundings, amazed by the number of paintings, sculptures, and objects that decorated the mansion. For someone who spent the first years of her life living in an igloo that was smaller than every room of this house, it was quite overwhelming. While she could definitely see why Mako and Bolin would love to live in a mansion such as this one, Korra believed she would feel more comfortable living in a smaller place that had more of a cozy vibe going on.

Kenai and Korra entered a wide room with a large swimming pool and a small jacuzzi next to it. Asami and Mako were enjoying themselves, chatting in one corner of the pool. As for Bolin, he was standing at the top of a statue nearby before diving into the pool while shouting 'Earthbending cannonball!', splashing water everywhere. "Miss Sato, Mater Beifong and Avatar Korra have arrived," Weing announced.

"Hey guys, glad you could make it," Asami said with a smile. Mako waved hello at them and Bolin did the same as he got of the pool, undoubtedly to perform another one of his cannonballs.

"Of course we were gonna' make it. I can't refuse an invitation from Miss Sato, now can I?" Kenai asked.

"Oh, hush you. But seriously, I'm happy that the two of you are here. You deserve to take a break after all the madness the Equalists caused during the finals,"

Korra nodded and took a seat in one of the many deck chairs available, examining the place. "Well, looks like you guys settled in just fine,"

"Pretty much. It's hard not to do so with a place like this," Mako replied before giving Asami a knowing look. "Although someone forgot to ask her father if he was okay with us staying,"

Asami rolled her eyes. "It's not that big of a deal. I'll smooth things over with him once he finds out. And besides, you know how the old saying goes: It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission," A snort from Kenai made Asami turn around. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing, I just think it's funny how you say it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission when you don't need to ask for either of those things to your dad at all… Oh come on, don't you look at me like that, Asami. You know it's true,"

"Just because it's true doesn't mean that you're right, okay? So instead of talking nonsense, how about you and Korra get into the pool and join us? We have spare swimsuits of all sizes in the bathroom, pick whichever you like,"

"Hey, that sounds like a great idea!" Bolin exclaimed as he got out of the pool with Pabu right on top of his head. "Let's have a diving competition. Whoever splashes most water wins. Pabu and I have been practicing all day, so we have a pretty good chance of winning. Isn't that right, buddy?"

The metalbender shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure I want to get into a diving competition, but I wouldn't mind going for a swim. What do you say, Korra? Feel like taking a dip?"

"M-Me?" Korra's body tensed as she suddenly became visibly nervous. "I… I think I'll pass. I've never been a very good swimmer, you know,"

The idea of Korra not being a good swimmer was so stupid that a thick drop of sweat began to roll down Kenai's temple. The night she snuck out of the Air Temple Island in order to see a Pro-bending game, Korra had jumped off a cliff and swam her way to Republic City like a Tiger Shark in the sea, so it was obvious that swimming wasn't a problem for her. Why was she lying all of a sudden?

Unbeknown to Kenai, his girlfriend didn't have a problem with the pool or swimming itself, but rather with the swimming apparel. Despite how overall confident Korra was, the thought of wearing a one-piece swimsuit and exposing so much of her body to Kenai, Mako, Bolin, and Asami was freaking her out. If she had to share the pool with just Asami, then maybe she would've agreed to it, but there was no way she was going to wear a swimsuit in the presence of Mako, Bolin, and especially Kenai. It was just… No.

Fortunately, Asami didn't bother to try and convince her otherwise, although she could easily tell Korra was just making excuses for whatever reason. "That's fine. If anything, I think we've done enough swimming for a day. It's time to move on to where the real fun is,"

"Real fun? You mean like go shopping or try makeup on?" Korra asked while holding back a groan. Asami looked like the kind of girl who was into those things, and honestly, walking aimlessly inside a shopping mall while carrying a bunch of bags for hours sounded like a boring torture more than anything else.

"Not today. I have something a little more exciting in mind,"

000

BBBBBRRRRROOOOOAAAAAMMMMM

…

"Okay, this was awesome," Korra said with a smile, stepping out of the car and taking off her security helmet and the goggles, with Asami doing the same. "I gotta' say, you really know how to drive these cars, Asami. We left Mako and Kenai eating the dust,"

Instead of visiting a shopping mall, Asami took her guests to her wide backyard and showed them where Future Industries tested its new products. The place mostly consisted of a race track and a workshop where vehicles, replacement parts and tools were stored. Asami then challenged the boys to a race and asked Korra if she wanted to tag along as her co-pilot, which she gladly accepted. Both drivers seemed to be equally good at first, but Asami soon placed some distance between him and Kenai, and eventually the girls' team won the race thanks to Asami's expertise behind the wheel.

"We certainly did," Asami replied with a smile of her own. "Just you wait and see how Kenai comes up with an excuse for loosing. Do you know how to drive, Korra?"

"I can drive a Polar Bear Dog if that's what you mean,"

Asami laughed. "I'll take that as a no. If you want, I can teach you how to drive a Satomobile whenever you have the time. I taught Kenai myself,"

"Well, thank you. I might take you up on that offer one of these days,"

BBBBBRRRRROOOOOAAAAAMMMMM

…

After crossing the finishing line, Kenai turned off the engine of his car and smirked playfully at Asami. "I should've known you were going to hand me a faulty car just so you could win. That's so like you,"

The heiress of Future Industries rolled her eyes. "Here we go again. Why don't you grow up and accept that you will never, ever beat me in a car race?"

"Hey, if this was a motorcycle race, you and your puny little moped wouldn't stand a chance against me. Besides, I wasn't taking this race seriously. I even slowed down at the curves just to give you some advantage,"

"Is that why you were cursing every five minutes?" Mako asked.

Everyone chuckled at that, including Kenai. It was obvious that Asami was a much better driver than he was, and it was hardly surprising considering how much free time Asami had at her disposal. She had always been an adrenaline enthusiast, so trying out race cars quickly became one of her favorite activities, to the point where Kenai had never won a race against her so far.

"You know what, Asami? I was wrong about you," Korra said all of a sudden, much to Kenai's surprise and joy. "Your money and your lifestyle made me think you were kind of… Well, prissy. No offense," she quickly added.

"Don't worry about it, I get that all the time. People often think of me as a rich daddy's girl who's obsessed with fancy dresses and getting her nails done, but I'm a lot more than that. I'm a bit of a gearhead if I say so myself, and I've had personal defense lessons ever since I was ten-years-old,"

"Really? Huh, your dad is definitely a smart guy," Korra replied. Asami then noticed a small blinking light in the car's instrument panel and went to check it out. "Something wrong with the car?"

"Looks like the new engines are acting up. These prototypes tend to have some issues every now and then. It's nothing new," Asami said before lifting the car's hood and touching some of the main components. "Yup, just as I suspected. The battery needs more lubricant, as well as a couple of new bolts. Korra, would you lend me a hand? I need to get some stuff from that workshop over there,"

Korra shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, I don't see why not,"

The two girls entered the workshop, and Korra was surprised by the amount of objects that was stored inside. A Satomobile with no wheels, doors, or windows was in the middle of the room while the walls had shelves with various items of different shapes and sizes on top of them. Korra idly wondered how fun would it be to build a working car using Metalbending and made a mental note to ask Kenai about it later, if only just to amuse herself.

Asami interrupted Korra's train of thought by pointing at a toolbox and asking her to carry it. Korra did as told and picked up the toolbox, expecting it to have a much heavier weight than what it actually had. Meanwhile, Asami grabbed a plastic gallon of lube oil with one hand and placed a couple of bolts inside her pocket. Once they had everything they needed, Korra reached for the doorknob to go outside, but Asami placed her hand against the door, preventing Korra from opening it.

"Huuhm, what are you doing?" Korra asked, surprised by the frown she was getting from Asami.

"I just want you to be honest with me, Korra: You're serious about him, aren't you?"

"Serious? Serious about whom?"

"About Kenai. You've probably already noticed by now, but he's really into you, so you better not be playing any silly games with him unless you want to have problems with me. Trust me, it won't be pretty,"

"Excuse me?" Korra was starting to get angry. She had no idea where this was coming from or why Asami was doing this, but she certainly didn't appreciate having someone questioning her feelings for Kenai, as if she was some sort of manipulative person with no consideration towards others. "Do you think I'm with Kenai just because of his money or some stupid thing like that? You better take that implication back right now if you know what's good for you,"

To her credit, Asami didn't look the least bit intimidated by the Avatar. "I'm not implying anything, I just don't want to see Kenai getting hurt. I may not be romantically interested in him, but he's still very special and close to me. Kenai has been my best friend ever since my…" For a brief moment, Korra saw a glint of sadness in her eyes as she suddenly went silent, but Asami shook her head before Korra could say anything else. "… Look, we've known each other since we were kids, and his life hasn't been all that easy. I want Kenai to be happy, and if he's happy with you, then I'm happy too. If you ever want to break up with him, then do it, but do it for the right reasons and not over some petty excuse. All I'm asking for is that you take Kenai seriously, the same way he does for you,"

The girl from the Southern Water Tribe didn't know why she was being told this. Why would she be dating Kenai if she didn't take him seriously? Wasn't that the whole point of entering a relationship? In any case, Korra at least appreciated the fact that Asami was just trying to look after Kenai. It may have come off a bit confrontational, but to be fair, Korra herself would've probably done something in a similar fashion if given the same circumstances. After all, Kenai and Asami were long-time friends, and they had every right to be concerned about each other's wellbeing.

"You don't have to worry. Kenai is important to me, as well as our relationship," Korra said earnestly.

Asami stared at her for a couple of seconds before she went back to being her usual self. "Good. That's what I wanted to hear. Now let's get back outside, shall we?"

And just like that, Asami opened the door and the two girls left the workshop. Asami was smiling as if nothing had happened while Korra was still feeling a little weirded out by the unexpected conversation that had just taken place. When asked what took them so long, Asami excused herself by saying she couldn't find the bolts she was looking for, to which the boys merely shrugged.

While Asami began to pour the lube oil into the machinery, Mako turned around to face his brother. "Hey Bolin, how about you go for a ride? You've always wanted to drive a Sato-"

"Excuse me! Emergency! Gotta' use the bathroom!" Bolin exclaimed as he ran past Mako, holding his crotch tightly.

Mako shook his head in annoyance. "That's what he gets for drinking too much lychee juice. He's almost addicted to that stuff,"

"Is there another bathroom I can use?" Korra asked.

"We have a ladies' powder room if you want to freshen up," Asami replied while adjusting the bottle cap of the gallon. "Go upstairs and turn to the left. My dad's office is next to the powder room, in case you want to say hello to him,"

The Avatar nodded and went on her way. As for Kenai, he was just happy that Korra and Asami were beginning to get along. It was important that his girlfriend and his best friend were on good terms with one another, otherwise, he would have to deal with another headache, and the situation with the Equalists was already giving him plenty of those. He felt a little guilty for taking a break from his job while the rest of his colleagues, including his mother, were working back in the Police Department. However, if he read one more article about how everything was the Police Department's fault, his brain would explode.

After a short while, Bolin came back holding a glass of lychee juice with a tiny umbrella on top of it. "Ahhhh, nothing like a cold glass of lychee juice. I don't know how Mr. Weing can make these. Hey Asami, why don't you tell your dad to get into the beverage business? If he starts selling lychee juice using Mr. Weing's recipe, he could make enough money to buy Republic City,"

"The beverage business?" Asami seemed amused by the idea. "Well, you never know. Dad always says a sharp businessman has to diversify his market,"

"Exactly! All we need is a name and a slogan for the product. How about this?" Bolin cleared his throat before reciting what he believed to be the best slogan ever created. "Sato lychee juice! It'll quench ya'! Nothing's quenchier! It's the quenchiest!"

…

"Bo, no one would buy anything that has that ridiculous slogan," Mako flat out said.

"What? Why not? There's nothing wrong with it," Bolin replied before he noticed Korra coming their way. "Oh, great, Korra's here. Hey Korra, I just came up with this amazing slogan for lychee juice. Check this out: Sato lychee juice! It'll quench ya'! Nothing's quen…chier…"

Korra paid him no attention as she hurriedly walked past him. "Sorry, can't talk right now. We gotta' go, Kenai," she said before grabbing her boyfriend's arm and dragging him along.

"Huh? What are you talking about? Did something happen?" Kenai asked, but Korra didn't respond.

"You guys are leaving this soon?" Asami asked in confusion.

Korra turned around but continued to walk backwards where the exit was. "Yeah, uh, the thing is… We forgot we were supposed Airsit... I mean babybend… I-I mean babysit the Airbending kids! Thanks for inviting us! See you guys later!" Kenai didn't have the time or the brain cells to come up with a better excuse and barely managed to wave his friend goodbye before they were out of their sight. "We need to go see your mom. I'll explain it on the way," she whispered to Kenai.

Once they reached the entrance of the Sato estate, Kenai got on his motorcycle and started the engine. As soon as the gates opened, he twisted the throttle of his vehicle and left the mansion faster than an Eel Hound chasing after its prey. "Are you gonna' tell me what's going on, Korra?" Kenai demanded to know with a bit of annoyance in his voice as he continued to drive down the road. The answer he received nearly made him fall off the driver's seat.

"This is going to sound crazy… But I think Hiroshi Sato is an Equalist,"

* * *

|Republic City Police Department Headquarters, midnight|

"You believe Hiroshi Sato is part of the Equalist movement?" Tenzin repeated, a deeply troubled look on his face. "Korra, do you realize how grave of an accusation that is? You're talking about one of Republic City's most successful and well-respected businessmen being affiliated to a terrorist organization,"

Kenai frowned deeply as he stared at his boots in silence. He, Korra, Tenzin, and Lin were in the rooftop of the Police Department's Headquarters discussing the possibility of Hiroshi Sato being an Equalist. While Kenai considered himself to be an open-minded individual for the most part, an accusation of this magnitude towards Hiroshi was really pushing it. The Sergeant of the Police Department had known Hiroshi for years, and the man had been nothing but kind and polite to both him and Lin, to the point where Kenai saw him as a friend of the family.

And now, all of a sudden, Korra was telling them that it was possible for Hiroshi to be associated with Republic City's most dangerous terrorist movement in recent times. Korra was his girlfriend and he really liked her, but how in the Spirit World was he supposed to believe her? Had it not been for years of learning self-discipline and emotional control, Kenai would've immediately rejected Korra's idea, especially when considering how fast Korra jumped into conclusions.

Lin gave her son the stink eye, and Kenai knew exactly why. Before the start of the Pro-bending finals, Kenai had asked her if she could please try to be more tolerant of Korra. Well, Korra was certainly not making it easier for Lin to tolerate her, and the Chief of the Police Department wasn't exactly known for her patience. "That's quite a bold statement, Avatar Korra. I'm assuming you have concrete proof of Hiroshi's involvement with the Equalists, not just mere conjectures,"

"I… Well, not exactly, but I know what I heard," Korra replied. "Hiroshi was talking to someone over the telephone. He said that the raid on Cabbage Corp had given them enough time, and that they would be ready to strike by the end of the week. The conversation ended there, but judging by his tone of voice, it sounded like they were plotting something. Something dangerous,"

Tenzin placed his fingers on his chin. The information offered by Korra wasn't enough to make him think that Hiroshi was a criminal, but unlike Kenai, Tenzin shared no affective bonds with the founder of Future Industries, and so it was easier for him to remain neutral. "Kenai, you read the reports about the raid on Cabbage Corp, correct?"

"I did, Uncle Tenzin," Kenai said, speaking for the first time since the meeting had taken place. "Cabbage Corp is the direct competitor of Future Industries, or at least it was before all of this commotion took place. They're getting pretty bad press right now. We found an array of Equalist devices in one of their factories, as well as other objects of dubious provenance. I can definitely see Future Industries trying to make the most out of this situation by promoting its products given how the reputation of Cabbage Corp has taken a huge hit. Maybe that was what Mr. Sato was referring to in his conversation,"

Despite not being involved in the world of business all that much, Kenai at least had some knowledge about it, and it made perfect sense to him that Future Industries would try and capitalize on the "Cabbage Corp Controversy" as the newspaper liked to call it. Hiroshi Sato was a businessman, and as such, he wasn't above taking advantage of his competitors' disgraces for the sake of strengthening Future Industries' position in the market. It was nothing personal, it was simply the way industries and companies worked, and Kenai was mature enough to understand that.

The corner of Kenai's mouth twitched in discomfort before he spoke again. "However, there's something that has been bothering me. The results of the raid on Cabbage Corp were too good to be true. Our sources were able to find the exact place where the Equalists manufacture and distribute their technology, and we managed to seize plenty of evidence from the factory in one fell swoop. The Equalists have never operated this carelessly; otherwise they would've never become the threat they are today. It almost feels like…"

"… Like they wanted us to find their devices and have us believe Cabbage Corp is involved with them, thus giving us a fake lead," Lin finished her son's sentence, to which he nodded his head yes. "To be honest, I've been growing suspicious of how convenient for us the raid on Cabbage Corp was. We sent a pair of electrified gloves that we found over to the Engineering Technology Department so that researchers can figure out the development process behind them. They investigated every factory owned by Cabbage Corp, and according to their reports, all of those factories lack the machinery needed to manufacture those gloves,"

"Which means that the evidence gathered by the Police Department during the raid could've been deliberately planted there beforehand," Tenzin chimed in.

Upon hearing her Airbending teacher, Korra's eyes widened a bit. "Do you think it's possible that Hiroshi Sato did that in order to frame Cabbage Corp and put them out of business?" she asked with a tiny bit of enthusiasm in her voice, feeling like her hunch had a little more substance now.

"No, it can't be. He wouldn't," Kenai couldn't help himself. The idea of Mr. Sato being responsible for such an underhanded ruse was preposterous, almost impossible. Taking advantage of a competitor's misfortune was one thing, but causing said misfortune was another matter entirely. "This is Mr. Sato we're talking about. We've known him for years, Mom. Do you really think he would get himself involved with a terrorist group just for the sake of making a profit?"

"Whether we like it or not, it's undeniable that Hiroshi is benefiting from this. That doesn't mean he's guilty by default, but after all that has happened, we simply can't dismiss potential suspects, regardless of how many years we've known them for. Besides, when you think about it, Future Industries is one of the main leaders of our time in terms of technological advancement. Hiroshi certainly has the means to manufacture Equalist devices on his own… as well as a possible motive,"

The Avatar blinked. "A motive?"

"Years ago, the Agni Kai Triad broke into the Sato Estate with the intention of committing robbery," Tenzin replied with a sad look on his face, one that his godson shared. "The situation got out of control, and their robbery attempt ended with the death of Yasuko, Hiroshi's beloved wife. That tragic incident left the Sato family devastated,"

"That's… That's absolutely horrible," Korra didn't know what else to say. She couldn't imagine how horrible it must've been for Hiroshi and Asami to lose a loved one in such a brutal manner. It was hard to believe that Mako, Bolin, Kenai, and Asami had all lost at least one of their parents while hers were alive and healthy. It made her feel immensely privileged in a guilty sort of way.

Kenai clenched his fists as a wave of sadness took over him. He and Asami were already friends by the time she suffered her mother's death, and it had been by far the darkest and most saddening period of her life. Despite only being a kid at the moment, the young Beifong took it upon himself to look after Asami, even if he had no idea how he was supposed to help her. Asami's grief lasted for long, but with the passing of time and with the unwavering support of her best friend, she slowly learned to cope with her sorrow.

It wasn't until two years later that Kenai experienced the same pain as Asami, when he returned home after school and found her mother crying in the kitchen, her face buried in her hands. Two agents were with her, and when Kenai asked what was going on, one of those agents approached him and placed his hands on the young boy's shoulders before telling him about the terrorist attack that had taken place in the docks… and how Ibaki was unable to come out of it alive. At first, Kenai was too stunned and in disbelief to react, but when Lin pulled him into a hug, he realized he would never see his father again, and his pure, innocent heart was shattered into countless pieces.

The voice of his mother interrupted his afflictive memories and brought him back to reality. "It's possible that Hiroshi has been harboring anti-bending sentiments ever since, and if that's the case, we need to take a look at Future Industries' warehouses as soon as possible. It might take us more than a week to get our hands on a search warrant and we can't waste that much time, but if we manage to convince Hiroshi, we could start investigating right away. It seems like we have to pay the founder of Future Industries a visit,"

* * *

|Sato Estate|

The following morning, a group comprised of Kenai, Korra, Lin, and four agents of the Metalbending Police Force showed up on the doorsteps of the Sato Estate, requesting a brief meeting with Hiroshi. Not wanting to get on the bad side of the law enforcers, Mr. Weing allowed them to enter the mansion and immediately went to Hiroshi's office to inform him of the unexpected visitors.

Meanwhile, Lin instructed the agents to stay outside and guard the perimeter. She wanted to make this meeting look as casual as possible, and there was a chance that Hiroshi would be less willing to cooperate if he felt intimidated or even wary in the presence of police agents that were strangers to him. The small squad of metalbenders followed her order right away, turning their backs against the door and forming a basic defense line.

Kenai stepped into the mansion with a blank face, doing his best to hide how awkward he felt. This was his first time going to the Sato Estate because of his job, and even though they were doing nothing outside the boundaries of their legal power, he still felt like this was an insult to Hiroshi. Apart from his impeccable track record as a highly successful entrepreneur who started from the bottom, he had earned Kenai's respect due to his gentleness and his encouraging personality. Not to mention, he was the father of his best friend, which made things that much difficult and uncomfortable to deal with.

Still, he had duties to follow. If the Chief of Police deemed something or someone to be worthy of investigation, his only choice was to comply and perform his job to the best of his abilities, regardless of his feelings. Kenai hoped that both Hiroshi and Asami would understand that he wasn't doing this because he wanted to, but because his hands were tied in this matter. He was worried about how Asami was going to react, because despite how much of a lady Hiroshi's daughter was, she still had quite a temper and she wouldn't hesitate to get in his face once she heard about this.

Much to his dismay, Mako and Asami were waiting for them at the top of the staircase. "Miss Beifong?" Asami asked in confusion. Lin ignored them and went straight to Hiroshi's office. Kenai and Korra tried to pick up the pace, but Asami quickly grabbed the metalbender's arm. "What's going on, Kenai? Why are the police here?"

Korra was about to respond, but Kenai raised his hand to prevent her from speaking, out of fear that things could turn ugly if his girlfriend explained the situation to them. "The Police Department just wants to have a word with Mr. Sato. We're going to ask him some questions and that's it,"

"The Police Department just wants to have a word with my dad, so they send several agents to our house including the Chief of Police herself?" Asami furrowed her brow, annoyed by the fact that Kenai wasn't being honest with her. Yesterday, when Kenai and Korra left her house in a rather questionable way, Asami began to suspect there was something fishy going on. And now, the two of them came back to her house with the Chief of the Police Department and a squad of metalbenders. "This makes no sense whatsoever. Drop that cop face of yours and tell me what exactly is going, Kenai,"

"I'm sorry, Asami. We can talk about this later, but right now, I have to follow orders,"

The staring contest between those two was brief, yet intense. Asami gave Kenai a fulminating glare while the metalbender's face remained as stoic as it was when he entered the mansion, because regardless of how he felt about the situation, the idea of showing vulnerability and apologizing for doing his job had never crossed his mind. Kenai wasn't arrogant, but he was proud and obstinate when it came to his duty, something which he had inherited from the Beifong side of his family.

In the end, Asami let out a huff and stormed off, her hands tightened into fists. "What in the world are you two up to?" Mako asked, annoyance all too clear in his voice. "You better not be here to give Mr. Sato any kind of trouble,"

"Like I just said, the Police Department just wants to talk to Mr. Sato and clear a few doubts," Kenai replied.

"Doubts? What kind of doubts?"

"The kind of doubts that concerns the Police Department, and that's all I'm legally allowed to tell you at the moment. Come on, Korra. Let's get this over with,"

The Avatar's mouth twitched in discomfort as she and Kenai walked pass the firebender, who stared at them with utmost distrust. Korra was just beginning to realize how much friction she was about to create between her and his friends, for not only she was going to confront Hiroshi, she was also going to confront the father of Asami, as well as the man who had sponsored the Fire Ferrets and who had welcomed both Mako and Bolin into his house. Heck, not even Kenai was completely on board with doing what they were doing. 'But it's too late to back down,' Korra told herself as she walked to Hiroshi's office. 'We need to get to the bottom of this,'

|Hiroshi's office|

"I must admit, this is all rather unexpected. When I heard from Mr. Weing that the Avatar, the Chief and the Sergeant of the Police Department wanted to see me, I thought you had come here to enjoy a cup of tea and catch up with one another, not to insinuate that I'm part of the Equalist movement,"

Hiroshi's voice was stern and firm. The look on his face was that of a man who had the situation under control, as if he had foreseen this scenario happening. However, the same way he remained calm and collected, Hiroshi also displayed disappointment in equal measure, and his words stung like the tip of a whip. Since Korra barely knew the man, she didn't really care all that much whether if Hiroshi felt indignation or not, and Lin was more than capable of handling whatever an old acquaintance threw at her if it meant getting the job done. However, for someone like Kenai, who had grown to see a small shadow of his late father in Hiroshi, he had a hard time dealing with the disgruntlement he was causing him. The mask of seriousness he was putting on felt heavier and heavier by the second.

"Kenai, Miss Beifong, I can imagine the Police Department being under pressure when considering the latest events in Republic City, but after all the time we've known each other for, do you truly believe I would ever associate myself with those extremists?" Hiroshi asked.

"You're misunderstanding the situation, Mr. Sato," Lin replied. "As far as the Police Department is aware, Future Industries has no ties to the Equalists whatsoever. We didn't come here to arrest you or put you under investigation,"

Hiroshi raised both eyebrows, showing slight surprise. "That's good to hear, but then I fail to understand the reason for your visit. A minute ago, you said that the Police Department wanted to conduct an inspection of Future Industries' facilities and search for any Equalist devices that might be stored there. Unless you think of me as a suspect, I don't see why you would bother to perform an inspection,"

This time, Kenai was the one who answered just so that he could put Hiroshi's worries to rest. "It's merely a matter of civic and lawful concern. We know for a fact that the Equalists are using technological devices as weapons. At first, we considered the possibility of those devices being imported here, but given how fruitless our investigations in Yue Bay have been so far, our only assumption we have left is that someone is manufacturing and distributing those devices right here in Republic City. That's why we have to search in every factory in the area that has such capacity, and I'm afraid we can't make any exceptions. Not even to you, Mr. Sato,"

"… I see. At least it's reassuring to know that I'm not being specifically targeted by the Police Department. I wouldn't even consider joining the Equalist cause. Those radicals are nothing but a threat to society,"

Kenai felt like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Hiroshi understood that this wasn't personal by any means. However, the tension returned to the room as soon as Korra took a step forward. "Don't think you're off the hook just yet, Mr. Sato. Yesterday, I heard you talking through the phone. You said that the raid on Cabbage Corp had bought you enough time and that you were going to be ready to strike by the end of the week. Care to explain that?"

Much to their surprise, the founder of Future Industries laughed. "Is that what caused this ruckus? I was talking to a business partner of mine. We were discussing how the raid on Cabbage Corp had given us enough time to strike the market with our new line of Satomobiles. I bear no ill will towards Cabbage Corp or anyone for that matter, but I can't be blamed if Future Industries takes advantage of a competitor's blunder, now can I?"

Korra's expression faltered for a second, but she quickly narrowed her eyes. "How do we know you're telling the truth?"

"I suppose there's no other way around it," Hiroshi said before opening the drawer in his desk and grabbing what appeared to be a pre-printed letter. After filling the blanks, he reached for a rubber stamp and printed the Future Industries seal on the letter. Then, he offered the letter to Lin, who carefully began to read it. "This is an executive mandate by which I authorize the Police Department to inspect any and all Future Industries facilities. You may start immediately, and you may be as thorough as you need to. The only thing I ask is for your men to be careful with the machinery in case they need to disassemble any,"

The Chief of the Police Department finished reading the letter and handed it to her son. "This executive mandate should be sufficient. As a gesture of good faith for all the time we've known each other, I will make sure the Police Department does not issue a statement about this before the conclusion of our inspection, and only if it's necessary,"

Hiroshi nodded. "I appreciate that. Hopefully, this will be enough to erase Avatar Korra's suspicions,"

* * *

|Future Industries' factory, a week later|

Kenai ran a hand through his hair. He was exhausted after conducting the inspection on the last factory owned by Future Industries, which had lasted nearly all day. Both his face and his hands were covered in sweat and black grease stains after hours of lifting heavy objects and examining every single machine of every single room in the factory.

As he sat on a sealed wooden box that contained a huge engine, Kenai started to summarize the results of the Police Department's investigation regarding Future Industries.

Long story short, Future Industries was as clean as a whistle. No one had managed to find a single fragment of evidence that could link the company to the Equalists, and it certainly wasn't because those in charge of running the inspection lacked scrutiny. Kenai had told the men under his command to leave no stone unturned, going as far as double-checking and triple-checking every facility he had visited during the week. The Sergeant of the Police Department even interrogated some of the factories' employees, those who had spent the longest working for Hiroshi Sato. He asked them a couple of questions while making use of his seismic sense ability to detect changes in their heartbeat pattern, but none of them had ever noticed strange or unusual activities going on during their working hours, and there were no reasons to doubt their words.

Was Kenai surprised by the outcome of the investigation? Not in the slightest. His faith in Hiroshi's non-involvement with the Equalists had never wavered. He was more worried about his friendship with Asami, which had taken an expected blow the moment she found out about how the Police Department was looking for proof that his father was secretly supplying the Equalist movement with technological devices and weaponry. Mako and Bolin had also gotten understandably upset with him and Korra, and Kenai was worried about them too, but his main fear was that the heiress of Future Industries would resent him for taking part in the investigation, even if none of this had been his idea. Losing Mako and Bolin as friends would suck, but losing the bond of friendship between him and Asami would be much worse.

Sighing heavily, Kenai opened a small pocket attached to his belt and retrieved two photographs that he always kept with him. He held them as softly as he could, not wanting his dirty hands to leave any stains on them. The first photograph was somewhat wrinkled, having been taken a long time ago. A young Kenai in his preschool years was standing next to an elderly blind woman, his grandmother Toph.

A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips as he looked at the slightly pouty face of his younger self. He remembered how he used to hate having a photograph taken of him back when he was a snot-nosed kid, but for some reason that he couldn't fathom during that specific occasion, Toph pretty much forced him to get a picture of the two of them together, and Kenai had no other choice but to begrudgingly oblige. Once the photograph was taken, Toph gave it to her grandchild as a gift, saying that he would do well to keep it. Kenai had no idea what she meant by that at the time, so he simply dropped the photograph inside his toy box without caring too much about it.

A couple of days later, Toph visited Kenai and said her goodbyes to him. She didn't mention where she was going or for how long she was leaving, but perhaps more importantly, she didn't explain to him the reasons behind her departure. If only Kenai had known that would be the last time he would ever see his grumpy, yet still beloved Grandma Toph. The picture he once thought of as a keepsake of little value became one of his most treasured possessions.

The second photograph was taken some years after the first. It was a portrait of the Beifong family. Ibaki and Lin were standing together, with one of their hands placed on each other's backs. Their other hand was placed on Kenai's shoulders, and this time, there was a toothy grin on the boy's face, for his parents had promised him a bag of honey sweets if he agreed to smile for the picture. Both adults were wearing Metalbending armor in the portrait while Kenai was wearing a fancy outfit designed for kids, which had also been part of the deal between him and his parents in exchange for his favorite sweets.

As he stared at the photograph of his family, he recalled how Tenzin once said his godson may bear a strong physical resemblance to Lin for the most part, but that his personality was very much like Ibaki's. The metalbender wondered how accurate of a statement that was now that he had grown up. Was he really like his father? Was he tracing his own path in life or was he following his father's footsteps without even being aware of it?

Whatever the answers to those questions were, Kenai knew he would never get the chance to learn the truth by himself. Ibaki was killed two months after the picture was taken, and family portraits became a thing of the past for Kenai and Lin.

"You look awful,"

Kenai lifted his gaze away from the pictures and saw Asami standing in front of him, her arms folded across her chest. "Really? I had no idea," he replied sarcastically, putting the photographs back inside his belt pocket before Asami could ask him about them. Kenai had never shown those pictures to anyone, and only his mother was aware of their existence.

Much to his surprise, Asami threw a wet handkerchief to him, which he caught with one hand before raising a questionable eyebrow at her. "Why are you looking at me like that? I just want you to clean yourself up before we talk, that's all," Asami said.

Kenai didn't need to be told twice and began rubbing the cheap handkerchief against his face, cleaning his skin. Once he did the same with his neck and his hands, the handkerchief ended up so stained that it wasn't even worth keeping, so Kenai tossed it into a rusty garbage bin that happened to be nearby. "Thanks for that, Asami,"

"Don't mention it. So…"

"… So?"

"Isn't it obvious? I think the least you should do is apologize,"

The eyes of the metalbender widened slightly. "You want an apology from me? What is it that I should be apologizing for, exactly?"

"For participating in this nonsense, for starters," Unlike Kenai, Asami's eyes narrowed in a clear sign of annoyance. "You and your mother called the integrity of my dad into question, and now that it's been proved that he has nothing to do with the Equalists, you're just gonna stand there and act as if nothing has happened? After all the time we've known each other, aren't you guys ashamed?"

Kenai instinctively placed his fingers on his temples and began to massage them, feeling an incoming migraine. "Asami, please don't start now. I don't have the time or the energy to argue with you. You know damn well I'm not the one who proposed this operation, I just followed the instructions my superiors gave me, which is exactly what my job is,"

Much to his exasperation, Asami deepened her frown, and a verbal outburst seemed inevitable. "And you accepted those orders even though they were absurd? Did you at least try to speak up against them?"

"That's not how it works. I can't simply refuse orders simply because I disagree with them, Asami," Kenai replied as he got out of his sitting position and walked a couple of steps forward, facing away from his friend. In the distance, he spotted his mother talking to a couple of officers, most likely discussing how their efforts had gone to waste. "… Besides, you don't know what I know. You don't understand what's going on, but I do,"

"Is that so? Go on, then. Enlighten me. Tell me what I'm missing if you're so clever," Asami told him, her voice acquiring a much harsher tone than usual. When Kenai turned around, her anger was replaced with consternation, for she had never seen her friend look so weary and exhausted before, as if he had suddenly gotten thirty years older in the span of five seconds.

"I'm failing, Asami. I'm failing both this city and my father," The feeling of defeat and failure was heavy on the metalbender's voice, to the point where Asami didn't know what to respond. "Ever since the rise of the Equalist movement and the bending gangs, the Police Department has had to fight a war on two fronts, and we're not winning in either of those fights. The only reason why the bending gangs aren't as active as they used to is because the Equalists have targeted them as well, and while I hate to admit it, they've done a better job at stopping them than we have. The non-bending civilians of Republic City are becoming aware of that, which is why the support for the Equalists is growing, and even those who don't support them are losing their faith in us,"

The daughter of Hiroshi could only bite the inside of her cheek as she listened to Kenai. Ever since her father announced to her that the Police Department was going to search for evidence that could link Future Industries to the Equalist movement, not once had she stopped to think what her best friend was going through or how what kind of pressure Kenai was dealing with. The anger she felt upon receiving the news had clouded her judgment, and regardless of how well-founded said sentiment was, Asami was beginning to realize that her anger was nowhere near as great as the frustration Kenai had been experiencing for months now, and it made her feel guilty.

"The worst part of it all is that I can't blame them. After what happened during the Pro-bending championship, the power held by the Equalists has become more apparent than ever before. We haven't… I haven't kept my promises to the everyday people, and if I continue to make empty promises, am I supposed to be surprised when they no longer believe me?"

"You can't keep judging yourself for every single thing that's beyond your control. You'll end up losing your mind if you do," Asami retorted. "What Amon and the rest of his henchmen did to the Pro-bending championship was unfortunate for sure, but it wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault,"

"That's just it, isn't it? When the Police Department does something good, we make sure to take full credit for our actions, but when something bad happens and we were unable to prevent it, we should feign innocence and pretend that everything is under control. I can't live like that, Asami, that's not how I am. That's not how my Mom is or how my Dad used to be,"

A deep silence overcame the two of them. Kenai diverted his gaze from Asami, who couldn't help but stare at him with a look of slight sadness in her eyes.

It was no secret to her that the death of his father had a large impact in Kenai. Ibaki's sacrifice constituted one of the most heroic acts in the history of Republic City, one that was still taught to children in classrooms. The man had saved hundreds of lives at the cost of his own, and because of his dedication and selflessness, he was hailed as a martyr. But whether Ibaki meant it or not, his sacrifice had casted a giant shadow over his son, one that suffocated Kenai. People constantly expected him to be just as good as his father was in the Police Department, and even though Kenai pretended not to care about it, Asami knew it hurt his pride whenever those who knew nothing about him doubted his efforts or his resolve to protect Republic City.

There was that, and there was also the fact that his mother was the Chief of the Police Department. Toph Beifong was the one who founded the institution, and now her daughter was in control of it. It was only natural that people wanted Kenai to become the Chief of the Police Department one day, as if being in charge of Republic City's police was some sort of Beifong family tradition that remained unbroken after hundreds of generations or something. That just added more weight to Kenai's shoulders, because no matter how mature he was, dealing with all that pressure took its toll on him, and there was only so much pressure one could take.

Not knowing what else to do, Asami said her goodbyes to Kenai in a way that was neither too soft nor too uncaring. She was still in a bad mood thanks to the Police Department, but at the same time, she found herself unable to take it out on her friend. Asami decided that she would wait until the situation calmed down before talking to Kenai again.

Kenai started walking towards the factory when he saw Korra discussing with Mako. Once the discussion came to an end, the angry firebender shook his head and left Korra alone, who plumped down next to Naga. 'Looks like I'm not the only one who's having a rough day,' Kenai thought.

This whole thing had been a complete and utter waste of valuable time, and even if Lin was the one who agreed to it, it all started with Korra. By all accounts, Kenai had every right to tell her off for jumping into wild conclusions and putting her developing friendships at great risk, but even if she was wrong, he hoped Korra had realized her mistake by now. Getting into an argument with her girlfriend was truly the last thing Kenai wanted right now. With heavy steps, he approached Korra and sat down next to her.

"Hey, Korra… How's it going?" Kenai asked.

Korra let out a sigh. "Not great, really. I just got done talking to Mako. He said that if I didn't knock it off, our friendship was over,"

"And what did you say to him?"

"… I said that Hiroshi was not the man he thought he was, and that I'm not done with this,"

'Spirits above and below, this girl is just…' The absurdity he was dealing with was peaking new levels. Was Korra really this desperate to blame Hiroshi despite having no evidence whatsoever? Kenai couldn't stop himself from groaning, which caused Korra to frown at him.

"You don't believe me either, do you?"

"Not on this one, I don't," Kenai replied. "Face it, Korra. You can't assume Mr. Sato is part of the Equalist movement just because you heard an ambiguous fragment of a conversation that he had. We searched everywhere and found nothing, and Mr. Sato tolerated this because he has nothing to hide in the first place. You're basing your belief on a hunch, and a hunch simply isn't enough to go after people,"

The girl from the Southern Water Tribe stood up. "You wanna' know what I think? I think that you consider your friendship with Asami to be more important than helping me. If you didn't know her, maybe you wouldn't be so hesitant to lend me a hand,"

"Well, unfortunately for you, I do know Asami and I do care about our friendship," Imitating his girlfriend, Kenai rose to his feet and faced Korra. He had been refraining himself from having this discussion with Korra, but there was only so much ridiculousness Kenai could put up with, and that last comment from the Avatar was the straw that broke the Camelephant's back. "And besides, how can you say I'm not helping you? I've been breaking my back all week looking for evidence just like you wanted. What else do you want me to do? Should I put Mr. Sato behind bars until he confesses?"

"What I want you to do is to have some faith in me! Is that really too much to ask? Even your mother is showing me more support than you have!"

"I'd love to support you, but your irrational attitude is making it pretty damn difficult! You're expecting a little too much of me you think I'm just going to go along with any crazy idea that gets into your head!"

Korra was about to retort, but then, the increasing sound of an engine caught their attention. An individual wearing a dark grey coat and a flat cap approached them on a moped, and once he was close enough, he threw a paper ball at Kenai before hitting the gas pedal and fleeing the scene. It all happened so quickly and spontaneously that neither Kenai nor Korra managed to react.

"The hell is that guy's problem?" Kenai asked as he picked up the paper ball that had bounced off his chest. Out of curiosity, he opened the paper ball, expecting to find insults written on it or something along those lines. What he read, however, made his eyes go wide in surprise.

"Hey, what's the matter? What does it say?" Korra asked when she noticed the look on Kenai's face. Kenai wordlessly handed the message to Korra, who had to squint in order to understand the shape of the letters written on the creased texture of the paper.

 _If you want to know the truth about Hiroshi Sato, meet me under the north end of the Silk Road Bridge at midnight. There won't be another chance._

* * *

Aaaaand that was chapter 9. Hope you all liked it.

What took me so long, you might ask? I don't know why, but the start of this chapter was giving me a huge writer's block, and when that happens, I usually spend my creative energy focusing on other stories for a while. The beginning of this chapter took me literally months to write, and yet I finished the rest of the chapter (at least the other 85% of it) in like two to three weeks. It's one of those things that you can't explain.

Also, I'm aware that there was virtually no action here, but you already know what's going down in the next chapter, and you can bet the chapters that follow after that one will be more entertaining. Since I managed to get past my writer's block, the next upload should be ready way faster than this one did. You have my word.

Peace!


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10: MASKS**

(Disclaimer: I don't own A:LOK. I do own my OC's, however)

* * *

|Silk Road Bridge at midnight|

'I seriously hate my job sometimes,' Kenai thought as he parked his motorcycle near the start of the Silk Road Bridge. This was the place where they were supposed to meet someone who could tell them the 'truth' about Hiroshi Sato, whatever that meant. Korra, Tenzin, Lin, and a small squad of four metalbenders were waiting for him, and had it not been for the uniqueness of the situation, Kenai would've gone home to enjoy a hot bath and go to bed. This conspiracy was really getting out of hand, and Kenai just wanted to put an end to it.

With a weary face and heavy shoulders, Kenai walked under the Silk Road Bridge, where he met Korra, Tenzin, Lin, and two agents of the Metalbending Police Force. "The meeting is about to start. Is everyone ready?" Lin asked, receiving a nod from everyone except from her son.

"May I ask what are these two doing here, Chief Beifong?" Kenai asked, jerking his chin up at the two other metalbenders.

"I told them to come with us in case we're walking straight into an ambush. We can't be careless right now," Lin replied, to which Kenai nodded in understanding. "Anyways, let's meet this stranger. With some luck, we might get some useful information out of all of this,"

The group started moving, keeping their eyes wide open. Whoever had delivered that note hadn't specified in which exact place of the Silk Road Bridge he was going to be waiting for them and this location was rather ideal for a setup, which made the Sergeant of the Police Force feel tense. Kenai and Korra were walking next to each other, but they weren't exchanging words or even glances as they had yet to smoke the pipe of peace together after their brief discussion earlier that night.

Besides, this was hardly the time or the place to talk about that. They would have to wait until later before they could patch things up. It wasn't like they were going to break up over this… Right?

'Spirits, what I wouldn't give for some Chimaru tea and a bottle of aspirin,' Kenai thought.

After fifteen minutes of walking, they were stopped by the sound of a loud whisper. "Pssst, over here,"

A figure slowly appeared from behind a column, wearing a trench coat, a flat cap, and fingerless wool gloves. The collars of his long coat were raised, making it difficult for Kenai to get a clear view of his face due to how dark the night was. Whoever this guy was, it was obvious that he didn't want people to recognize him, and Kenai felt the urge to get his blade out just in case.

"You have nothing to worry about. There's no one else here except for us," the man said.

Lin took a step forward, retracted the sole of her boot and stomped her foot on the ground, making use of her seismic abilities to detect any other presences nearby. After half a minute later, she went back to her previous posture and slid her boot sole back out. "The area is clear. I'm assuming you're the one who wrote that note and gave it to Sergeant Beifong here,"

The man nodded. "That's right. I generally don't like acting with such secrecy, but there was no other way to arrange this meeting. My name is Teru. I work at one of the warehouses you guys raided,"

"What do you have on Hiroshi Sato?" Korra immediately asked, but Teru raised his hand at her.

"Not so fast. Before I speak, I want something from Chief Beifong and Avatar Korra. I want the two of you to promise me that I will not be sent to jail over the hypothetical activities I may or may not have taken part in regarding this conversation,"

Kenai didn't like where this was going. The way Teru spoke suggested that he had indeed engaged in at least one crime in the past, but he wasn't admitting to it, not from a legal perspective anyway. "That's a bit too much to ask considering we don't know how important or reliable your information is. We can discuss reducing jail time if it comes to that, but-"

"But nothing. These are my terms, and whether this conversation continues or not depends entirely on you. If you do agree to these conditions, you will understand why I placed them on the table. Do you agree, or should we go home and pretend this never happened?"

Just when Kenai was about to protest, Lin sent a sharp glare his way, and he begrudgingly closed his mouth. "If your information turns out to be just as important and truthful as you claim it is, the Police Department is willing to consider you as a protected witness, and you will not be held accountable for any wrongdoings you may have committed unless those wrongdoings are beyond exoneration. You have my word,"

"And mine as well," Korra said.

Teru remained silent for a while, and then he nodded in consent. "Very well, then. I'm not gonna waste my time explaining them, but for a couple of reasons, I joined the Equalists about a year ago. I thought Amon could make life better for us non-benders, but not like this. His war against the city has gotten way out of hand,"

"And what does that have to do with Hiroshi Sato?" Tenzin asked while his godson placed his hand on the ground, checking for Teru's heartbeat pattern.

"It has everything to do with him. He's the one who's been manufacturing the equipment used by the Equalists all along, the same equipment that was found during the raid on Cabbage Corps. Amon and Hiroshi are allies, close allies,"

Kenai flinched, and his hand started to tremble.

"I knew it! I knew Hiroshi had been up to something all this time!" Korra exclaimed, smacking her open palm with the side of her fist.

"And there's more. Hiroshi has been working on a new invention, a weapon that will give the Equalists a huge advantage. It has yet to be tested, but once it's ready, only the Spirits know what kind of destruction will Amon and his followers unleash upon Republic City,"

"Where exactly is this new weapon being developed? We checked all of Future Industries' warehouses and found no evidence whatsoever," Lin said.

Teru looked over his shoulders as if making extra sure that they were out of earshot before adjusting his hat. "That's because there's a secret factory where Hiroshi manufactures the devices used by the Equalist movement. I've been there myself, and I've seen what kind of stuff is being developed inside that factory,"

"Where is it?" the Avatar demanded to know.

"… Right underneath the Sato Estate,"

Except for Kenai, everyone in the group exchanged surprised glances. No one had considered the possibility of a secret factory built underground. The Sato estate was located high up in the hills, and the terrain was big enough to hide a factory below the earth's surface, which would allow Hiroshi to design and produce technological objects in favor of the Equalist cause while offering his cooperation to the Police Department without getting caught. Of course, it would've been foolish to believe a complete stranger based on his word alone, which was why Kenai used his seismic sense to detect any abnormal change in Teru's heartbeat pattern in case he lied.

"Sergeant Beifong, is this man telling the truth or not?" Lin asked while Tenzin, Korra, and the two agents of the Metalbending Police Force were holding their breath.

Kenai got on his feet very slowly, almost in a robotic fashion. A small knot formed in Korra's throat when she saw her boyfriend's face. He was pale and weary, and he looked like he was seconds away from throwing up.

"… He told the truth,"

* * *

|Republic City|

As she stared at the numerous buildings all the way from the control room of an airship, Korra took a deep breath, feeling like a soldier who was about to step into enemy territory. In a few minutes, they were going to raid the Sato Estate and search for the secret factory beneath it. Lin was currently giving out instructions to her men about how their raid was supposed to be carried out while Tenzin stood by her side, waiting to have a word with her. The only one who wasn't in the control room was Kenai, who was sitting on a wall-mounted bench next to the emergency exit door, alone and brooding.

After their meeting with Teru, the man was taken into custody by the two members of the Police Department and was told that he would have to come with them in the meantime. When Teru asked why, Lin explained to him that he would have to stay put and under the vigilance of law enforcers while the raid on the Sato estate took place. If the information he had provided lead to concrete, undeniable proof of Hiroshi's involvement with the Equalists, only then would Lin grant his amnesty request. Teru complied and left the Silk Road Bridge in the company of the two metalbenders, who were told not to put handcuffs on him as a goodwill gesture.

Once the squad of metalbenders had been dismissed by Lin, Tenzin approached her and gave the Chief of the Police Department a stern look. "Barging into the Sato estate like this is a risky move, Lin. Whatever happens tonight, I can already see Tarrlok using it to his own benefit. However, if we're wrong about this…"

"I know, I can kiss my job goodbye. I was aware of that the moment this operation initiated," Lin replied, not taking her eyes off of the Sato estate. "However, it's my duty to protect Republic City. If this new weapon exists and we do nothing to stop Amon from getting his hands on it, I will never be able to look at myself in the mirror ever again,"

Upon hearing her answer, Korra couldn't help but feel a small amount of admiration for Lin. Being the Chief of the Police Department meant a lot to her, and yet she was still willing to put her job on the line if that was what it took to face a potential threat. Regardless of what she thought about Kenai's mother, there was no denying that she was a woman of great courage and determination, and that was worthy of some respect in Korra's book. She then turned her head to where Kenai was. His boyfriend hadn't uttered a single word since they left the Silk Road Bridge. He was simply sitting there, staring at the metal floor while his intertwined fingers covered his mouth, almost as if he was praying.

Korra was struck by a pang of pity. The scene was all too familiar, because not so long ago, she had been in a similar position and had experienced the same feelings of doubt and denial. After infiltrating the Equalist rally and witnessing Amon's abilities, Korra refused to acknowledge the ever-growing pit in her stomach every time the name of Amon was mentioned, and it wasn't until Kenai came to her rescue that she finally broke down and, amidst tears, confessed how scared she actually was.

However, Kenai was having it worse than she had. It was no secret to anyone that Amon was an evil guy who had malevolent intentions, but the same could not be said about Hiroshi, whom Kenai had known for years. He trusted the man and thought highly of him, and so he was having an extremely difficult time dealing with the fact that Asami's father could actually be plotting against the benders of Republic City. The idea seemed ridiculous to him at first since there was practically no evidence, but now that Teru had come forward and Kenai hadn't been able to detect a single lie from what he had said, the possibility of Hiroshi Sato being an Equalist was now more plausible than ever, and it was crushing Kenai inside.

Unable to see her boyfriend like this, Korra felt the need to check up on him, and so she walked up to Kenai and took a seat next to the metalbender. "How are you holding up?" Korra asked straight away, skipping over the small talk.

Kenai remained silent as first, and when he spoke, his gaze still refused to meet hers. "Honestly, I don't know. This is completely insane. I've never been in a situation like this before, and now that I am, it still doesn't make any sense,"

Korra wanted to say something, maybe one of those wise and philosophical phrases that Tenzin always seemed to have at hand. Years of living under the vigilance of the White Lotus hadn't exactly made Korra an expert when it came to giving advice. Instead, she decided to take the sympathetic road and hope for the best. "I understand this is tough for you, I really do. You care for Hiroshi and Asami, but… But you can't let that blind you. If Hiroshi is indeed helping the Equalists, there's no telling how many people will be in danger, and that's exactly what we have to avoid,"

The Sergeant of the Police Department let out a long sigh. "It's just that… This might be the closest we've ever gotten to dismantle the Equalist movement, and yet… For the first time, I want to be wrong. I want to be wrong about Mr. Sato, even if neither he nor Asami ever talks to me again after tonight. I know I shouldn't be saying this. I know I have to act like a man and uphold my responsibilities towards Republic City, but I don't know if I can do it this time. I feel so-"

"Weak?" Almost involuntarily, Korra guessed the word her boyfriend was looking for, and he shot her a somewhat surprised stare. "You know, it's kinda' funny. A few months ago, I probably wouldn't have been able to relate to you at all. But after spending time with you, Tenzin, and the rest of the guys, I think I'm beginning to understand people better. If I'm being honest, nothing in Republic City reminds me of my old life at the South Pole,"

And of course, she wasn't just referring to the geographical differences between the two places, but rather the events and the occurrences she had gotten involved in so far. The White Lotus had taught her how to use bending so that she could fulfill her role as a peacekeeper, and at the time, Korra thought that being a peacekeeper and kicking bad guy's asses were practically the same thing. And because she was great at it, she was under the impression that she was going to be a great Avatar as well. After all, she had already mastered Earthbending, Firebending, and Waterbending by the age of seventeen, and she could use them in combat like an expert.

This perception of hers had certainly started to change ever since she stepped foot on Republic City. The objective of maintaining balance in the world was still the same, but Korra was beginning to realize that in order to maintain said balance, she needed to learn more about the people she was supposed to maintain balance for. The White Lotus had done a great job at teaching her how to use her bending abilities (Airbending aside), but in retrospective, they never bothered to teach her how to truly connect with people, and it wasn't until she left the South Pole that the human side of her started to bloom, even if slowly.

"Anyways, I guess what I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't feel bad for yourself. Acting like a man and upholding responsibilities doesn't mean that you're not allowed to feel weak. If I hadn't felt weak after I first tried to face Amon, I probably never would've grown braver because of it. Besides, whatever happens tonight, we'll pull through together. You can count on me,"

For a couple of seconds, Kenai was left speechless, even more so when Korra grabbed his hand and gave it a tight squeeze. After a short while, Kenai returned the squeeze, his thumb tenderly caressing her knuckles. It felt weird to receive this kind of reassurance from Korra, because up to this point, it had mostly been the other way around. Kenai was the one who lifted Korra's low spirits and offered advice when she needed it, but in this occasion, it was the complete opposite.

Regardless, a weak smile appeared on his lips. Korra could've easily taken the 'I told you so' road, and yet she decided to comfort him instead. She understood that he was experiencing a huge internal conflict and that the last thing he needed right now was a scolding. "Thanks, Korra,"

"Don't mention it,"

"Ahem," The sound of a clearing throat shook the couple out of their intimate moment. Lin was standing in front of them with her arms crossed and a slight look of annoyance on her face. "We're about to land on the Sato Estate. I suggest neither of you gets distracted before the raid begins," she said, fixing her gaze on their joined hands.

Korra instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but to her surprise, Kenai tightened his grip and held her hand slightly harder than before while he stood up. "Don't worry, Chief Beifong. We're ready to do this, and we're not distracted at all," Kenai replied, his jade-green eyes meeting Lin's. As tired as he was, Kenai still had enough strength left to address his mother with a solid, almost contumacious stare. She was obviously expecting him and Korra to stop the hand-holding, but Kenai didn't feel like doing that, not right now. One simply did not grow up as Lin's son just to lack a proper backbone, and loving his mother to death did not prevent Kenai from showing her that certain haughtiness that the members of the Beifong family carried in their blood.

The Chief of the Police Department wrinkled her nose in disapproval but remained silent. There were more important issues to deal with at the moment, although she wasn't at all pleased with (in her opinion) Kenai and Korra's inappropriate display of affection. There was a time and a place for the two of them to partake in cuddles. The right time was not when they were minutes away from starting a raid, and the right place was pretty much anywhere but in front of her.

'Today's youth is truly something else,' Lin thought as she left.

* * *

|Sato Estate|

"What's on your mind, Asami?"

Mako's voice snapped Asami out of her thoughts. She had been silently staring at the living room ceiling for a bit too long. It was already past midnight and she wanted to go to bed, but for some reason, she was unable to. A restless feeling of uncertainty was consuming her. When Asami met her boyfriend's gaze, who was adjusting the music that was being played on the phonograph, she tried her best to look unbothered. "It's nothing. I'm just tired is all,"

The firebender didn't even need to look at Asami in the eye to tell she was lying. Her voice, usually smooth and silky, now sounded raspy and forced. Mako turned off the phonograph and walked to where the refreshment table was, thinking that his girlfriend could use a drink or two. "If you're thinking about the Police Department being all up in your dad's business, you shouldn't have to worry about them. They already searched everywhere and they found nothing, not that he was hiding anything to begin with," he said as he poured an orange liquid into two cups, adding chopped fruit and a tiny bit of sugar to their beverages.

"It's not the Police Department I'm worried about," Asami replied as she grabbed the drink Mako was offering her. After taking a long sip, she placed her cup on the table next to her and let out a tired sigh. "I'm worried about Kenai,"

"Kenai?" Mako repeated. "Why are you worried about him? He was one of the people in charge of conducting the inspection on the warehouses, and he didn't find anything either. He said so himself,"

"You don't get it, Mako. I'm not talking about his involvement in this nonsense, I'm talking about… Well, him. I feel like he's not the same as before. The pressure is getting to him, and I'm not sure how much he can take. And besides…" Asami began to frown as an image of the Avatar appeared inside her head. "… I'm almost certain that Korra is using him. She's the one who started this whole thing, and now she wants Kenai to take her side even if it means adding more weight on his shoulders,"

There really wasn't another explanation Asami could come up with, and it all started when she invited Kenai and Korra over to her house. That day, Asami made sure to let Korra know what would happen to her if she tried to make a fool out of Kenai. Such warning came from a deep sense of caring and friendship that Asami and Kenai had developed over each other, not from a place of jealousy or resentment. She simply wanted Korra to take Kenai seriously and to treat him with the respect partners ought to have for each other, regardless of the outcome of their relationship.

And when she heard Korra's answer, Asami looked at her in the eye and felt like the Avatar had truly meant what she said. But as soon as Asami started to like her, Korra ended up revealing her manipulative nature and started spreading ridiculous claims about his father being involved with the Equalist movement, all for the sake of pushing Kenai away from his best friend. Asami had seen plenty of controlling, jealousy-driven girls in the past, but Korra had gone too far with this, and she could only hope that Kenai would see the harm his girlfriend was causing before it was too late.

"If I'm being honest, I don't understand what happened to those two," Bolin said as he sat down on an armchair, holding a bowl of peanuts between his hands. "I mean, before all of this started, Korra and Kenai were pretty friendly towards us. They helped me escape from Amon's bending-stealing party and even offered Mako and I a place to stay when the Arena was closed. What would make them change so much all of a sudden?"

Mako crossed his arms. "I have no idea, but it doesn't matter. They were the ones who started this, not us. Nothing gives them the right to pin the blame on Mr. Sato just because they don't know who the real culprit is,"

Asami shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Do you think they're willing to go further with this?"

"Oh, come on. Things aren't that bad," Bolin started to say as he gave a single peanut to Pabu and grabbed a handful of them for himself. "I mean, what are they supposed to do now? Kick the doors down and arrest us over nothing?"

BAAAAM

"D'aaaaah!" Bolin screamed as a squad of metalbenders entered the room in formation. He stood up and threw his hands in the air, dropping the bowl and sending peanuts all over the floor. "Guys, I don't know how, but it's happening! It's happening!"

"What's going on?" Asami demanded to know as the metalbenders scanned the room searching for other people or weapons. Her anger went through the roof when she saw Korra was there, along with Kenai, Lin, and Tenzin. "How dare you barge into my house like this? How gave you permission?"

True to her style, Lin went straight to the point and didn't bother to explain things in a delicate manner, not even to her son's best friend. "We have reasons to believe there's a factory hidden below the mansion, Mrs. Sato. One that your father failed to mention the last time we came here,"

" _Excuse me?"_ Asami's face was twisted in disbelief and rage. Kenai couldn't remember the last time his best friend looked this upset, but he couldn't really blame her given the circumstances. "I think I would've noticed if there was a factory hidden underneath my own house! I can't believe how far you people will go just to persecute my father, after all this time we've known each other!"

"Where's your father, Asami?" Kenai asked. He nearly flinched when Asami redirected her venomous glare at him.

"In his workshop behind the mansion,"

"Show us, please," Tenzin said. Without uttering a single word, Asami stood up and left the room with Mako and Bolin. The rest of the group followed them, keeping a safe distance between them and the Future Industries' heiress. There was so much tension in the air it was almost palpable, breathable.

When they reached the workshop, Asami turned on the lights and the squad of metalbenders instantly secured the area. Kenai took a quick look at the place, trying to find signs of Hiroshi's presence, but the man was nowhere to be seen. Asami called out her father's name a couple of times, but the only response that she got was the sound of her own voice echoing around the empty room.

"Didn't you say your father was here, Mrs. Sato?" Tenzin asked.

"He was here. He told me he was going to stay up until late because he had work left to do," Asami insisted.

One of the metalbenders raised his voice so that it could be heard loud and clear. "Chief Beifong, Sergeant Beifong, the perimeter has been secured. No one has left the workshop since we arrived,"

"Perhaps we just couldn't see him leaving," Lin mused. She then cast a glance at her son, and Kenai nodded in response.

Without the need to exchange words, the two of them walked up to the middle of the room, retracted the sole of their boots and stomped their feet on the floor, feeling the intense vibrations of what was beneath them. It was almost like an unspoken language through which the Earth and its earthbenders communicated with each other, at least to those earthbenders who were willing to listen to it. That was how Kenai saw it, and while this Earthbending sub-skill was undoubtedly useful for practical purposes, it also had immense symbolic and sentimental value to him.

Their seismic sense was much more than just an ability that helped Kenai and Lin become aware of that which was invisible to the naked eye, whether they were lies or hidden objects. It was, first and foremost, a form of heritage. Kenai had developed his seismic sense under Lin's guidance, and Lin had developed her own under the guidance of Toph Beifong, her mother. In the end, Toph had transmitted to both her daughter and her grandson more than just an Earthbending sub-skill, but also the way she saw the world around her. It was through his seismic sense that Kenai was able to have a better understanding of the life of Toph Beifong, his dear grandmother.

It was also through his seismic sense that Kenai was able to detect what appeared to be an underground channel below the workshop, one that most certainly shouldn't be there. "There's a hidden tunnel beneath us," Kenai stated, his voice subdued.

Asami frowned. "What are you talking about, Kenai? There's no tunnel,"

The Sergeant of the Police Department simply stepped aside, allowing his mother to use Metalbending in order to uncover the entrance. Lin quickly ripped out a rectangular piece of metal from the floor, revealing an underground staircase that led to a large transport wagon on top of railroad tracks. It was impossible to tell how deep the tunnel ran, but it had to be at least hundreds feet long. Several pairs of eyes turned towards Asami, who was gaping and blinking in confusion.

"Uuuuhh, Asami… Does your father know about this?" Bolin whispered uneasily.

"I-I don't… I don't understand what's going on. Dad never told me about this tunnel," Asami said with much difficulty. Her previous anger had been replaced by a complete sense of stupefaction and fear. The looks she was getting from everyone, especially from the members of the Metalbending squad, were making her feel like an innocent civilian being discovered in a crime scene. Even Mako was staring at her with a look of utter surprise on his face. "The-There has to be an explanation for this. My father… He would never…"

Korra placed a hand on Asami's shoulder. "I hate to say this, but maybe you don't know everything about your father… I'm sorry,"

"Officers, we're going into the tunnel," Lin said out loud, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. "Stay sharp and follow my lead. Sergeant Beifong, you're with me," She then gave Asami, Mako, and Bolin a no-nonsense glare. "You three will stay here. We have enough problems on our hands, and the last thing we need right now are meddlesome civilians,"

Kenai tightened his grip on the handrail as the transport wagon descended into the mountain.

The young metalbender had been raised to be a logical thinker, an individual guided by reason and evidence rather than feelings. He was shrewd and calculating, and he analyzed situations with a cool head in order to find the answer to a problem. Those traits were necessary in his line of work, for Republic City could not be protected by emotional simpletons who took decisions in the heat of the moment. The actions of a policeman, especially a Sergeant, had to be based on common sense and rationality, no matter what the circumstances were.

And yet, despite all that, Kenai quite simply couldn't bring himself to accept what at this stage was most likely the truth. Hiroshi Sato was hiding something. Both his guts and his brain were telling him as much. Everyone on the transport wagon was aware of that, but he was the only one who was trying to find a reasonable explanation to what was going on, an explanation that didn't end with Hiroshi as an ally to the Equalist movement. Kenai wanted this whole thing to be a big misunderstanding, not because he had truthful or convincing arguments to back up Hiroshi's innocence, for he had none. He just didn't want to see the father of his best friend turned into an enemy of the city after all the time they had known each other for.

Asami had already lost a mother. He didn't want her to lose a father as well, not in this way. What was more, Hiroshi was an old family friend, the closest one the Beifong family had as far as Kenai was concerned. He didn't know if he could deal with a betrayal from his behalf after years of trust and loyalty.

"We're getting close," Lin warned them. "Men, remember to stay on your toes. We have no idea what we're gonna find inside that factory,"

The transport wagon came to a halt in front of a long bridge that led to a bright area. Everyone started crossing the bridge, walking in pairs like two parallel lines. They were supposed to proceed forward as an organized unit, but Kenai, wishing to get rid of all his doubts about Hiroshi, broke formation and started jogging, leaving everyone behind. Lin shouted at him, ordering her son to stop, but the Sergeant of the Police Department refused to listen. When he finally reached the entrance, he found a wide room with numerous machines inside. The most noticeable ones were two sets of tank suits that had humanoid-like shapes, with tweezers instead of hands and wheels for movement. There were six of them in total, three on each side of the factory.

However, what shocked Kenai the most were the banners hanging from the ceiling… all of them showing an illustration of Amon's mask.

"This… This can't be," Kenai said as he started to feel dizzy. His insides were twisting, nearly making him fall to his knees. All the truth he'd been pushing away since their meeting with Teru came galloping back to him, and this time, Kenai felt the impact like a lunge from a Saber-tooth Moose Lion.

The rest of the group soon caught up to him. Without hesitation, Lin ordered everyone to scatter and search for Hiroshi before he could get away. This was the greatest discovery the Police Department had found regarding the Equalist investigation, and if they could manage to apprehend Hiroshi and put him behind bars, Amon and his followers would suffer a substantial loss. Everyone started to move out except for Tenzin and Kenai, who stayed behind.

"In the end, Korra was right," Kenai said, his voice hollow. "Mr. Sato… He truly is an Equalist supporter. After all these years, I thought… I thought that he…" A huge knot formed inside his throat, and Kenai had to stop talking. Despite his attempts at covering it, his jade-green eyes were starting to gather moisture.

Tenzin placed a hand on his godson's shoulder, giving him a sorrowful look. "I'm sorry, Kenai. No one could've seen this coming, especially you. I can only imagine how much this is hurting you, but you have to remain strong. Hiroshi has shown his true colors, and he needs to be stopped for the sake of Republic City. You'll have time to assimilate things once this is over,"

Kenai quickly rubbed his eyes and nodded affirmatively. "… Thank you, uncle Tenzin,"

Meanwhile, Lin and Korra were walking next to each other, exploring the factory and every object within it. It was astonishing how Korra overhearing a snippet of a conversation between Hiroshi and another individual had led them to discover this place. Despite her rocky relationship with the Avatar, Lin had to begrudgingly admit that Korra had performed a great service to Republic City and to the Police Department this time, even if she refused to say it out loud. From Lin's perspective, Korra had gone from being a brash, disrespectful, son-stealing troublemaker to a brash, but relatively well-intended and honest Avatar.

Whether she was a son-stealer or not had yet to be seen.

"Looks like that Teru guy wasn't kidding when he said Hiroshi was working on an extremely dangerous weapon," Korra commented as she stared at the tank suits. Those things looked like they could destroy Satomobiles in a matter of seconds. The thought of those machines running rampant through the streets of Republic City was nothing short of unnerving.

"You can say that again," Lin replied. "We found the secret factory, but where is Hiroshi?"

BAAAAM

All of a sudden, a huge barrier rose from behind, sealing the entrance and making a loud, rumbling noise that resonated all around them. The lights shut off, leaving everyone in almost complete darkness until several spotlights from above brought some degree of visibility back. One by one, the tank suits were activated, releasing a vibrant sound from their engines.

Lin reacted immediately by approaching the metallic wall and attempting to split it in half, or at least create a gap large enough to go through it. However, her Metalbending had no effect on the barrier whatsoever, as if it was made from a completely different substance. That was when they heard an echoing voice coming from one of the tank suits.

"I'm afraid it is useless, Chief Beifong. That wall is made out of solid platinum, and so are my Mechatanks. No one can bend a metal this pure, not even your renowned mother," The Mechatanks started to move, rounding the benders up until they were cornered between the wall and the machines. The voice from earlier seemed to come from the Mechatank in the middle, and when Kenai squinted his eyes to see better, he recognized the fancy suit and the facial features of the individual who was inside the robotic monster. It was none other than Hiroshi Sato, the man whom Kenai once thought he knew.

"I knew you were guilty, Hiroshi!" Korra shouted in anger. "All this time, you were pretending to be on our side, when in reality, you're nothing but a lousy liar who supports the Equalists! Why don't you come out here and-!"

"-And do what, young Avatar? Face the wrath of your bending? Thanks, but I think I'll stay here, where my odds are a little more… equal,"

"That man who contacted us, he was a setup! You instructed him to tip us off in order to lure us down here!" Lin exclaimed accusingly.

"Indeed. Quite a brave man, that Teru. He volunteered for the job knowing full well he would end up in jail. Of course, he's not going to stay there for long. Once the Equalists take over the city, he will be set free and rewarded accordingly," Hiroshi replied. He then glanced at Kenai, who was staring at him in shock and disbelief. For a couple of seconds, Hiroshi's features softened, but the frown on his face reappeared shortly afterward. "Enough of this. It's time to put my new invention to the test,"

Hiroshi's Mechatank threw a cable at them. Kenai's survival instincts kicked in just in time, and he got out of the way by diving to his left and bending a small column of earth to jump over the closest Mechatank. Suddenly, the group was divided and every man for himself became the rule.

Standing behind one of the Mechatanks, Kenai threw one of his cables at it, wrapping it around its right arm in an attempt to restrain it. This proved to be a bad decision, however, as the Mechatank merely waved its robotic limb around, dragging the metalbender all over the place like a ragdoll. Kenai managed to retract his cable in midair and was sent bouncing. When Kenai finally stopped, he raised his head and saw the Mechatank whipping its cable at him, but he reacted by raising the earth a little and jumping over the incoming cable on all fours, allowing it to pass under him.

Then, he aimed at the Mechatank's head and shot his own cables, reeling himself and landing on top of it. The Mechatank was too slow to stop him, and once Kenai had a firm grip on it, he pulled out his wrist blade and started piercing through the metal, repeatedly stabbing the tank suit with all of his strength. The chi-blocker who was inside the Mechatank lost his composure when Kenai's blade nearly got to him, and so he pulled the levers and the Mechatank started spinning around almost uncontrollably, making the Sergeant of the Police Department lose his balance.

Not wanting to stab himself by accident, Kenai decided to jump away before the sheer force of the Mechatank could throw him. As soon as he landed, he buried his forearms into the ground and took two big chunks out of it, sending them at the Mechatank with quick jabs. The chunks of earth barely made a scratch on the tank suit's chest, and Kenai was forced to run, dodge, and dive as the Mechatank began shooting its cables again.

'I can't keep evading those cables forever! I have to do something!' Kenai thought as he raised a sturdy wall of earth and took cover behind it. The Mechatank shot one of its cable-guided tweezers at the wall, nearly shattering it to pieces before retracting the cable. Kenai's eyes widened as he came up with a risky, but potentially effective idea. 'That machine's weak spot is its head. I could probably take that guy out if I got close enough, but those cables make it nearly impossible to approach him. In that case…' Kenai took a long breath and walked out of his hiding spot.

The Mechatank instantly shot its other set of tweezers at Kenai, who instead of running away like he had done so far, merely waited in his place. When the tweezers were about to reach him, Kenai ducked down and grabbed a large rock from what remained of his earth wall with his right hand. Then, as soon as the Mechatank started retracting its cable back, the metalbender used his free hand to get a hold of the pair of tweezers, which pulled him towards the tank suit at great speed.

Kenai stopped right in front of the chi-blocker and proceeded to smash the Mechatank's windscreen using the rock he had grabbed from earlier. After a few attempts, the glass was completely shattered. Now that he could attack his enemy inside, Kenai tried to knock the chi-blocker unconscious by hitting him across the face with the rock, but the chi-blocker reacted in time and grabbed both of Kenai's wrists. They struggled against each other for a short while, but then, the metalbender activated the mechanism of his left hand's wrist blade and pulled it out, making a cut on the palm of the chi-blocker. His adversary let out a yelp and Kenai didn't hesitate to punch his lights outs before throwing him off the Mechatank.

'That's one down,' Kenai thought as he got inside the tank suit. He didn't know how to control it, but seeing how hard it was to battle against these machines, the Sergeant of the Police Department figured he would be better off improvising from inside a Mechatank instead of fighting them barehanded.

When he looked around, he saw the members of the Metalbending squad getting electrified by the Mechatanks' cables. Korra had just managed to take down one Mechatank after a relentless barrage of Earthbending and Firebending, but as soon as she was done, another Mechatank came from behind and shot its cables at her, pushing Korra against the wall and sending an electrical discharge that made her scream in pain.

Kenai was about to go help her, but then, he saw Hiroshi fighting against Tenzin and Lin at the same time. The two benders were holding their own, with Tenzin using Airbending to deflect the cables and Lin continuously throwing rocks at the Mechatank. However, they were both taken by surprise when Hiroshi opened his Mechatank's tweezers and shot weighted ropes out of them, which immobilized the ex-couple and had them shouting when their bodies suffered an electrical discharge released by the weapons.

A blind rage took over Kenai. It didn't matter who it was, _no one_ hurt his mother or godfather and got away with. Without a second thought, he pressed the gas pedal as hard as he could and drove his Mechatank directly at Hiroshi, who was opening his windscreen under the impression that every bender had been taken care off. Asami's father didn't notice the danger coming his way until it was too late, because as soon as he looked over his shoulder, Kenai crashed his Mechatank into Hiroshi's, sending the man flying out of his tank suit.

Kenai didn't stop there. He jumped off the Mechatank and threw one of his cables at Hiroshi, who was groveling on the ground. His cable caught Hiroshi's ankle and Kenai dragged him over to where he was. Kenai then grabbed Hiroshi by the collar of his suit and pulled his arm back, ready to strike the founder of Future Industries for all the damage he had inflicted and all the treasonous acts he had committed.

However, as the metalbender stared into the fearful eyes of Hiroshi, a flood of memories inundated his mind. Kenai started to remember the days when Hiroshi would watch over him and Asami as the two kids played whatever silly game they came up with, the days when he asked Hiroshi for advice whenever he needed one, the days when he celebrated his birthday and Hiroshi would always bring him a gift of Asami's choosing, the days when Hiroshi acted like a father figure to him. He couldn't find the will to harm the man in front of him, because despite his betrayal, the memories he shared with Hiroshi were still present, and Kenai was unable to toss them away just like that.

Almost unknowingly, Kenai lowered his arm. He wanted… No, he needed Hiroshi to remember the man he used to be. There was still time for him to fix things, still time to turn his back on everything and change the errors of his ways. Kenai tried to transmit this feeling just by looking at Hiroshi's eyes because words alone couldn't possibly do the job. There was a moment of silence between the two of them during which Kenai thought Hiroshi had understood the message he was trying to deliver, and a spark of hope flashed in his eyes,

He was proven wrong, however, when Hiroshi suddenly reached for Kenai's forearm and used his glove to send an electrical discharge. Kenai hollered in pain, and suddenly, everything around him faded into black.

|…|

It took Kenai a couple of minutes to realize what was going on. He was being held by someone… Was it Bolin? It sort of sounded like him. He blinked several times, and when his vision started to clear, he saw that both he and his mother were being held by the earthbender of the Fire Ferrets. Meanwhile, the bodies of Korra and Tenzin were being held by Mako, who was giving Hiroshi a nasty look. Lieutenant Jie, Amon's second-in-command, was there was well, keeping an eye on the prisoners.

"Sponsoring our Pro-bending team, letting us into your house, it was all just to trick us," he heard Mako say.

"That is very much correct. And do you want to know what the hardest part of it all was? It wasn't sponsoring your team or allowing you to live under my roof. It was seeing my daughter investing her feelings into a relationship that has neither a reason to exist nor a future to exist in," Hiroshi replied.

"What about Kenai?" the teary voice of Asami asked. "He's been with us for years, he's like family to us! How can you do this to him?"

"Sweetie, you don't understand. If peace is to be achieved, no exceptions must be made, even if it means taking bending away from people whom we know to be kind-hearted and honest. Bending has caused far too much damage, it has destroyed the life of thousands of people who deserved much better. We are not the cause of this sick world and its injustices, but its cure instead. You know this to be true, Asami, no matter how much Kenai means to either me or you,"

Once Kenai had a full grasp on what was happening, he tried to stand up on his own, but his wobbly and weak body would've dropped had it not been for Bolin and his strong arm. "Take it easy, buddy. I got you," Bolin assured him.

Seeing how it was useless to move, Kenai raised his head as much as he could and met Hiroshi's gaze. "Mr. Sato… all of this time… you've hated me, haven't you? I trusted you… I thought you were an amazing person… and you hated me,"

"Hate you?" Hiroshi muttered. The expression on his face was one that Kenai had never seen before. He looked disheartened, yet determined at the same time, like someone who was willing to make a personal sacrifice for a greater good. "Kenai, my boy, you're misinterpreting my motives. I don't hate you. I could never hate someone so important to Asami,"

"Then… Why? Why would you join the Equalists?"

"Because while I do not hate you, I do hate your bending and everything it stands for. How many conflicts could've been avoided if bending wasn't around? How many wars has bending started? Far too many. Admittedly, this revolution of ours is creating a conflict as well, but this conflict will prevent countless of others from ever happening, and so it is a noble cause. It will take time, and losses will be suffered, but in the end, mankind will live with the peace and prosperity it deserves,"

"But joining the Equalists… Joining Amon… It's not the right way to achieve peace!"

"And what is the right way, if you don't mind me asking? Are we supposed to sit back and let the inefficient Police Department deal with the problem?" Hiroshi retorted, his voice acquiring a harsher tone. "I used to believe that. When my wife died, I had faith that the bending establishment would uphold justice and put the beasts of our society in chains and behind bars. Years went by, and what has happened ever since? More crimes have been committed, more destruction has been caused, and more families have been torn apart just like ours was. I may not agree with everything that Amon preaches, but he's doing what needs to be done so that atrocities such as Yasuko's murder may never happen again. If that makes him a monster in your eyes, Kenai, then you have no idea who the real monster is,"

Kenai looked down at the floor. Hiroshi's words felt like a hot knife slicing his back open. As much as he wanted to lash out at Hiroshi and berate him for joining the Equalist movement, he couldn't deny that there was some truth to what he had just said. The rise of the bending gangs had inflicted far too much damage upon Republic City and its citizens, and most of its victims were non-benders who couldn't protect themselves. If the Police Department hadn't been able to keep things under control, could he fully blame people like Hiroshi for feeling the way they did?

Before he could give Hiroshi an answer, the founder of Future Industries took off one of his gauntlets and approached his daughter. "Asami, you're the only family I have left. Join me, and together, we can fight for a better future. We can help people like us, not just here in Republic City, but all over the world as well," He then offered the gauntlet to Asami, who stared at the device with her mouth slightly gaping. "No more injustices. No more violence. That is a world worth striving for, and now, that world is within our reach, but only if we work together. Join the Equalist revolution, Asami,"

Asami hesitated for a minute, but then, she took the gauntlet and put it on. Kenai felt as though his heart had crumbled apart. "Asami, no…"

The look on Asami's face showed nothing but guilt as a lonely tear dribbled down her cheek. "I love you, Dad,"

And just like that, Asami placed her gauntlet on her father's shoulder and electrocuted him. Hiroshi, having never expected his daughter to turn her back on him, let out a piercing scream before hitting the ground. Lieutenant Jie pulled out his pair of kali sticks and swung one of them at Asami, but she ducked down, got behind his back and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck before releasing an electrical discharge, knocking him out. Everything happened so fast that Kenai barely got time to assimilate what was going on.

"Quick, into the tunnel!" Bolin exclaimed as he, Mako, and Asami made a run for it. Since the entrance of the factory was sealed by Hiroshi's platinum wall, Bolin had made use of his Earthbending to dig a tunnel around it. Asami took Korra off of Mako and the three of them managed to get into the tunnel just in time. Once they were inside, Bolin immediately closed the tunnel so that they couldn't be followed. They reached the transport wagon and Mako pulled the lever, leaving the factory and everyone inside behind.

Despite feeling weak and in pain, Kenai turned his head around as his feeble body laid on the cold floor of the transport wagon, facing the entrance of the factory. He felt as if they were escaping from the claws of a terrible dream, but the thought gave him hardly any comfort.

This nightmare was real, and there was nothing he could do to change that simple, yet torturing fact.

* * *

|Republic City|

"Once again, Amon played us like a damn fiddle," Lin grunted as she rested her back against the wall, sitting on a stretcher along with Tenzin. The two of them were inside the emergency room of the airship after successfully escaping from Hiroshi's trap and were currently receiving medical attention from the crew. Kenai and Korra were in bad shape as well, but they were able to handle the pain better thanks to their young bodies. Lin was a tough woman indeed and she could fight whoever stood in her way, but being fifty years old took its toll on everyone, and Lin was no exception.

"It could've been worse, Lin," Tenzin told her, holding his arm in pain. "We could be on our way to Amon this very moment, tied up and defenseless,"

"Tied up and defenseless is exactly how my men find themselves right now, and Amon will take away their bending as soon as they arrive to his hideout. Maybe this could've been avoided had I been less careless and brought more metalbenders with us. This is my fault and my fault alone,"

Meanwhile, Kenai and Korra were at the control table of the airship, licking their wounds after suffering yet another defeat. They had managed to uncover an important segment of Amon's operation, but it had cost them dearly, to the point where the losses seemed to outweigh what they had gained from this. They stood in silence, unable to find the will to start a conversation. After all, what was there to talk about? Hiroshi was an Equalist, and everything Kenai once believed about him was a lie. He had been wearing a mask of flesh in order to hide his true intentions, acting like a benevolent and unprejudiced man while collaborating with Amon from the shadows.

'To think that I actually defended him when Korra called him out,' the metalbender thought. He didn't feel like an idiot for doing that because he knew anyone in his position would've done the same, but it was shocking to realize just how wrong he had been this whole time. Hiroshi was not only a stranger to him now, but an enemy as well. Just thinking about it was enough to burn a hole through Kenai's chest.

Mako and Bolin then approached Korra and apologized to her. Korra smiled half-heartedly and assured them they had nothing to worry about, that no grudges were held. She even invited them to stay at the Air Temple Island a second time, seeing how they had nowhere else to go yet again. The invitation was also extended to Asami, who was inside the bathroom dealing with the intense swirl of emotions she was experiencing in private. The faces of Mako and Bolin brightened considerably and told her they would be honored to accept her invitation, and thanked her for being so kind to them after everything that had happened.

Kenai then walked up to where his mother was. "What's our next plan, Chief Beifong?" he asked, fatigue all too noticeable in his voice.

Lin let out a sigh. "This can't go on like this. I'll be handing in my letter of resignation first thing tomorrow morning,"

"What!?" Kenai's eyes went wide in shock. "But Mom… Chief Beifong, this city needs you! You can't give up now!"

"I never said anything about giving up. I won't rest until Amon has been brought to justice, but this time, I'll have to take matters into my own hands and act outside the law… However, we still need a Beifong inside the Police Department, one that can't be bribed, persuaded, or who has to answer to anyone but himself. That's the part where you come in, Sergeant,"

"Wait a minute, Lin. You're not thinking about making Kenai the new Chief of the Police Department, are you?" Tenzin asked. "He's still too young and inexperienced to handle that kind of responsibility. Besides, it would be seen as an act of shameless nepotism, both by the civilians and the rest of the Police Department,"

"I'm fully aware of that, Tenzin. Captain Saikhan will be taking over as the new Chief of the Police Department, but before that happens, I want to make sure Kenai doesn't have to work under him. I wasn't so sure about this at first, but considering the latest turn of events, it looks like there's no other choice,"

With much difficulty, Lin rose to her feet. Kenai tried to help his mother, but a quick wave of her hand told Kenai otherwise. When the two of them were finally standing face to face, Kenai couldn't hold his tongue back any longer. "Chief Beifong, can I ask what's going on?"

In response, Lin grabbed a golden badge from one of her pockets and embedded it into Kenai's armor using Metalbending.

"Sergeant Beifong, I, Chief Beifong, hereby promote you to First Commissar,"

* * *

Aaaaaaaand that was chapter 10. Hope you all enjoyed it.

As promised, I uploaded this chapter much faster than the last time. Keep in mind that I'm working on two other stories as well, so it's not like I can just ignore them and focus solely on this one.

You might have noticed how I portrayed Hiroshi slightly different in this story. I always thought his excuse for being evil in the show was lame. I never liked the whole "firebenders killed my wife and I've hated bending ever since" thing, so I decided to give more substance to his motivations. Basically, Hiroshi didn't turn evil right away. He was devastated when he lost his wife, but he had faith that things would change for the better.

However, after some time, he realized that things weren't working out and that violent crime kept growing due to the bending gangs. With that in mind, Hiroshi joined the Equalists not out of spite for benders, but bending itself as people had been using it to wage war and oppress those who couldn't fight back. That is Hiroshi's perception of reality, which lead him to believe that the best way to achieve peace is by completely eradicating bending. It may still sound twisted, but it has some degree of logic in my opinion, and I certainly think it's better than to have Hiroshi say "all benders are evil because one of them killed my wife years ago". He's essentially a man who lost his faith and searched for answers in Amon, who offered him an extreme solution, but a solution nonetheless.

Also, the mustache guy with the sticks is only refered to as "Lieutenant" in the show, so I took the liberty of giving him a proper name. The Lieutenant is now Lieutenant Jie.

Do you like Kenai's new position? He's First Commissar Beifong now. What is a First Commissar and what can Kenai do with his new authority? Find out in the next chapter.

Don't forget to Review, Favorite & Follow

Peace!


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11: TO BE YOU**

(Disclaimer: I don't own A:LOK. I do own my OC's, however)

* * *

|Air Temple Island|

Three days after the incident in the Sato Estate, Mako, Bolin, and Asami were finally arriving at Air Temple Island, where Korra and the Airbending kids were eagerly waiting for them at the docks.

"I'm so glad you could make it. We have your bedrooms ready," Korra said cheerfully as the ship came to a halt. A group of air acolytes quickly approached the new guests and helped them carry their belongings… Well, to be more specific, Mako and Bolin were carrying their bags just fine, but Asami's luggage amounted to seven big suitcases which stored half of her wardrobe, and the air acolytes had to call for more help in order to carry all of them.

"Thanks again for letting us stay here, Korra. This means a lot to us," Mako said as they all started walking together.

Bolin nodded in agreement. "That's right. We might not be the fanciest people of Republic City, but even my brother and I are used to having a roof over our heads. Sleeping outdoors would've definitely sucked,"

"Seriously, it's no big deal," Korra assured them. "It's not like I would've let you guys stay homeless. And besides, Air Temple Island can get boring when you see the same faces every day, so you guys staying here feels like a breath of fresh air,"

"Where's Kenai, by the way?" Asami asked, noticing that the metalbender was nowhere to be seen.

"He's staying at his house right now. Apparently, his new promotion has to be announced to the public this afternoon, along with Captain Saikhan since he's the new Chief of the Police Department. I think he's supposed to give a speech or something, but I didn't really get all the details,"

000

"Well, here we are. Welcome to your new room," Korra said to Asami, a hint of awkwardness on her voice. While Meelo was showing Mako and Bolin their dormitories at the 'boys' side', Korra took it upon herself to show Asami her designated bedroom. The only furniture inside the tiny space was a bed next to the wall, a nightstand, an old wardrobe, and a carpet in the middle of the floor. The open window offered a distant view of Republic City and all of its tall buildings.

While there was nothing inherently wrong with the room itself, it was the complete opposite of what Asami was used to, and the Avatar was fully aware of that. As one would expect from the only daughter of an industrialist tycoon, Asami had grown up surrounded by wealth and her lifestyle was luxurious even by the standards of other rich people. Even though she no longer saw her as a prissy and spoiled daddy's girl, Korra feared that Asami might not react very well to the abrupt change she was being presented with.

"So, what do you think?" Korra asked. "I know it's a bit rustic compared to what you had before, but the Air Nomads always had a taste for the simple things,"

To her relief, Asami smiled. "I think it's a lovely place. No swanky decorations, no unnecessary expenses, this is exactly what I need right now,"

Korra understood what Asami meant by that. The news of Hiroshi Sato being an Equalist had sent the press into an absolute frenzy. After the Police Department had issued a public statement in which both Lin's resignation and Hiroshi's secret alliance with Amon were announced, hit pieces and ill-intended articles began to spread like wildfire, and a fair few of them included Asami. The Sato name was currently being dragged through the mud, and Asami needed to disconnect herself from the mess her father had created. Here, away from the loud streets of Republic City, she wouldn't have to worry about hearing the unfair criticism she was currently being subjected to by the press and those naïve enough to believe it.

"In that case, you're welcome to stay here for as long as you need… Out of curiosity, have you seen Kenai these past few days? He said he was going to stay with her mom until the public announcement was over, but I don't really get why,"

"I haven't seen him either. He's probably just feeling anxious about the whole promotion thing. I mean, it must be a big deal if he's nervous about it,"

Their conversation was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door. It was Tenzin, who came by to greet the new guests of the island. As custom dictated, Asami bowed down in front of the airbender, showing proper respect to her host. "Thank you for having me, sir. Your hospitality is very much appreciated,"

Tenzin returned the bow. "Think nothing of it. And please, call me Tenzin. I came here to let you know that Kenai and Captain Saikhan will both have their induction ceremony in the afternoon. I must attend to this event, and I believe you should go as well,"

"Actually, while we're on the subject, could you explain to us what Kenai is being promoted to?" Korra asked. "I heard he's going to become a First Commissar, but we have no idea what that is,"

The airbender stroked his fine beard, searching for the right words to use. "It's a tricky subject, but in essence, a First Commissar is an agent who works with almost complete autonomy. No one in the Police Department can force a First Commissar to follow an order, not even the Chief of Police. From here on out, Kenai may operate with full authority and won't have to answer to no one,"

"So a First Commissar is like a second Chief of Police then?" Asami asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Something like that. They're alike, but they're not the same. Just like how the Chief of Police can't give orders to a First Commissar, a First Commissar can't give orders to the Chief. In other words, their commands cannot contradict or go against each other, for they come from individuals of equal standing. Also, First Commissars are only appointed during states of emergency such as the one we're currently experiencing, and they can only stay in their position for a period of four months. If the crisis ends before those four months have passed, they are forced to resign and return to their previous rank,"

Korra nodded in understanding. "I can see why Lin wanted to promote Kenai before she resigned. But now that Saikhan will become the new Chief of Police, what will happen if the two of them can't work together? Since they have the same degree of authority, wouldn't that make things confusing if they give the Police Department two different orders?"

"As I said before, it's a tricky subject. First Commissars are usually people whom the Chief of Police trusts entirely, but given how Lin has just retired, it's difficult to predict how everything will play out between Kenai and Saikhan. What I do know is that Tarrlok will do everything in his power to benefit from the new Chief of Police, but with Kenai acting as First Commissar, he'll be free from the councilman's influence, at least for the time being. I just hope that my godson is ready for this,"

* * *

|Republic City, Beifong Residence|

As he sat on his bed, Kenai began to polish his armor for the seventh time this morning, frantically cleaning every inch of it.

In about thirty minutes, he was going to take the most important step of his career so far, and he had no idea how to feel about it. Being the Sergeant of the Police Department was one thing, but becoming a First Commissar at his age was almost implausible. Most members of the Police Department would be proud to receive such high honor, but Kenai couldn't say the same thing for himself. The shadow of the Equalists movement was growing larger every day, and after Hiroshi's treason, it was impossible for Kenai not to wonder how many other Equalists supporters like him were hiding in plain sight.

That simple thought was feeding his paranoia more than anything had ever done in the past. With the exception of Asami, every non-bender in Republic City was now a possible Equalist in his eyes. He was aware that such perception of reality wasn't healthy or even fully accurate, but given how ugly the situation was, he needed to be as precautious as he humanly could, or else Republic City would be lost.

'I'll make sure that never happens,' Kenai thought, but even then it felt like he was just trying to reassure himself more than anything. He found himself missing the days when Republic City's biggest concerns were the bending triads. They were still a problem, but Amon and his followers had undoubtedly proven themselves to be a much more dangerous threat than those thugs, and Kenai felt ashamed of both the Police Department and himself for not being able to stop either of them.

"You'll get calluses on your hands if you keep that up,"

Kenai turned his head to the left. His mother was standing in his bedroom, holding a gourd of Chimaru tea. She was wearing her pajamas underneath a grey sleeping robe as she was still recuperating from the fight against Hiroshi and his Mechatanks. Kenai laid aside his armor and Lin sat next to her son, handing him his favorite beverage.

"How are you feeling, Kenai?" Lin asked. Kenai took a long sip before answering.

"… Nervous, I guess. The last couple of weeks have been wild, and it doesn't look like the upcoming days are gonna be any different,"

"Be that as it may, we have no choice but to keep moving forward. These are the times when Republic City needs us the most. Sooner or later, Amon will meet his downfall, but only if we refuse to stand down,"

Kenai nodded silently and stared at the floor, his elbows resting on his knees. It was always the same. Keep fighting, don't give up, hang in there, yadda yadda yadda. He hadn't stopped hearing those phrases ever since the situation with the Equalist movement had started to escalate. It seemed like his life now solely revolved around defeating Amon, as if everything else was pointless and unimportant. When was the last time he and his godfather had enjoyed a trivial conversation over a game of Pai Sho? When was the last time he and Asami had a drink together?

Kenai knew there were more important things going on and that this was the life he had chosen for himself, but even so, he wasn't going to waste his time pretending he had everything under control. He was only human and he couldn't choose which emotions he wanted to feel and which emotions he wanted to ignore.

"You know, I may not say this very often, but I'm proud of you,"

The words from the retired Chief of Police caused Kenai to stare at her in surprise. "You're proud of me? Why? I haven't done anything,"

"You've done more than what you realize," Lin replied. "I know people who are older, smarter, and more talented than you that would crumble under the kind of pressure you're dealing with. This life that we live, protecting people and risking our necks, it's not made for everyone. We've all been dealt one bad hand after another these past few weeks, but whenever I see you, I remember why Ibaki's spirit remains intact even if he's no longer with us,"

Kenai gulped. The subject of his father was rarely mentioned between the two of them, and whenever it was mentioned, it almost never came from Lin's behalf. It was a topic of conversation that always left both of them feeling nostalgic and gloomy, but right now, it just made Kenai feel confused. "That's not true. Dad was the strongest man I've ever known. All my life I've been trying to be like him, but in reality, I'm just… imitating him, and I'm not even that good at it,"

"That's where you're wrong, Kenai. Your father was strong not because he never fell down. He was strong because no matter what life struck him with, he always stood back up again. That was what made me admire him, and that's exactly what you've been doing all this time. You're a good son and a good man as well, but you're also one of the few people who can forge on despite the odds, and that makes you every bit as strong as Ibaki was,"

With his throat swelling, Kenai couldn't help himself and hugged his mother, who returned the embrace. Sometimes, he was so busy following orders from her that he would forget about the caring and warm mother that he had. A lot of people both inside and outside the Police Department thought of her as a strict, no-nonsense woman who only cared about her job, and Lin certainly didn't do much to change the way those people saw her, but Kenai loved his mother regardless and felt lucky to have someone like her in his life, no matter what flaws she had.

"Thanks, Mom. I love you,"

"And I love you too, sweetie. Now stop wasting your time and put your armor on already. You can't be late for your own ceremony, First Commissar Beifong,"

"Yes, ma'am,"

Once Lin left the room, Kenai did as told and started putting his gear on, feeling more invigorated than he had felt for weeks. The golden badge embedded into his armor shone brightly, as if reflecting all of the confidence he had lost these days. He then heard the sound of an engine coming from outside, and when Kenai looked out the window, he saw two men stepping out of an elegant police car. He recognized them as the drivers that the Police Department had designated to take him to the induction ceremony.

Kenai walked up to his door and opened it, but before he left his bedroom… Something made him stop and turn around. His eyes landed on his wardrobe, and after a moment of hesitation, he decided that he wanted to do it.

With both his hands pressed against it, Kenai pushed the wardrobe to one side, revealing a trap door in the wooden floor. He opened the trap door and a faint cloud of dust was released into the air. 'How many years have passed since I last opened this thing?' Kenai wondered. Sticking his hand inside, Kenai fumbled for a bit until his fingers touched the object he was looking for. Once he had a firm grip, he took out an old helmet that used to be part of the Metalbending Police Force uniform a couple of years back.

It was his father's helmet.

The helmet's design was slightly different from the current one. Its edges were sharper, and it included a retractable mask that covered the lower half of one's face. It was the only personal belonging of Ibaki that had been found of him after the day his life had been claimed in the docks of Republic City. Kenai treasured that helmet deeply, but he had never dared to wear it in the past. Whether it was out of respect or not, Kenai himself was clueless, but that no longer mattered to him.

He grabbed the piece of wet cloth he was using earlier and quickly polished the helmet to get rid of the layer of dust it was covered in. Once that was over with, the helmet still required some cleaning, but at least now it looked presentable. Putting on his father's helmet made Kenai feel weird, but also empowered at the same time.

Not wanting to keep his drivers waiting any longer, the metalbender walked out of his room and closed the door.

000

|Republic City's Police Department|

"Dear citizens of Republic City, as you all know, I will be acting as the Chief of the Police Department from this day on," Saikhan said as a large crowd was gathered outside the Police Department. Kenai, along with several other high-ranking officers, were standing behind Saikhan as they witnessed the induction ceremony. A little further on the stage, Kenai saw Tarrlok and a couple of members of his task force standing there as well, and the metalbender had to refrain himself from starting a staring competition against the councilman.

'I wonder what that pompous Viper Bat is up to,' Kenai thought. 'Knowing him, he already has something up his sleeve,'

"It was a true honor to serve under Chief Beifong, and I wish her nothing but the best of luck in the years to come. As of now, I am in charge of running the Police Department and it is my responsibility to protect all of you from the biggest threat Republic City has ever seen since its conception. I can assure you that as long as I act as Chief of Police, my men and I will spare no effort in confronting the Equalist movement. No citizen of this place, bender or non-bender, should ever be afraid of walking on these streets alone at night, and we won't rest until we restore order and security. You have my word,"

The crowd erupted into cheers. People were happy with Saikhan assuming the new position as Chief of Police, mainly because of the ongoing criticism his predecessor had faced during the days leading up to her resignation. Many citizens felt like the Police Department needed someone younger than Lin to take control of the situation, someone who still had vigor and energy left, coupled with enough experience after years of serving Republic City.

Saikhan cleared his throat, silencing the clapping of the crowd before speaking. "While it is my task to uphold peace and bring about justice, it is not a task I will be doing alone. Before Chief Beifong appointed me as the new Chief of the Police Department, she saw fit to appoint Sergeant Beifong as First Commissar, a decision which I don't doubt was made after careful consideration. From the day he joined the police force, I have seen nothing but dedication and maturity from this young man right here, and his qualities are exactly what we need from everyone in the Police Department. I will now end this statement by inviting First Commissar Beifong to give his,"

Kenai took a deep breath and began to walk to the front of the podium where the new Chief of Police was waiting for him. Once he got there, the two metalbenders gave each other a military salute before shaking hands as a way of declaring the equal amount of authority that they shared, one as Chief of Police and one as First Commissar. Saikhan then moved over and went to join the rest of the officers in the background, allowing Kenai to stand behind the lectern.

The reaction from the crowd was less enthusiastic than before. The same way they thought Lin was too old to keep working as Chief of Police, they thought Kenai was too young to be given a position that was just as important, especially given how Saikhan wouldn't be able to strip him of his rank or demote him even if he wanted to. They felt doubtful, and Kenai was going to have to work hard if he wanted to regain their trust.

"Thank you, Chief Saikhan. Before I continue, I would like to first give my thanks to the people in my life, the people who, in one way or another, are the reason why I'm here. My mother, for starters, whose unwavering commitment to this city keeps surprising me even to this day. My godfather as well, who is always there for me when I need his wisdom. And lastly, I want to thank my father, who gave everything to protect Republic City and who never hesitated to do what was right. They are the role models that inspire me and whom I owe an awful lot to,"

The mention of Ibaki sparked several murmurs. Kenai had never spoken about his father in front of such a large crowd of interviewers and photographers before. Whenever a journalist asked him a personal, unrelated question about his father, he would flat out refuse to answer and would move on to the next journalist. For him to openly thank his father, even as a courtesy, was enough to raise journalists' eyebrows.

"One of the teachings I have learned during my time serving Republic City is that I should never ask people to do something I'm not willing to do myself. Chief Beifong has given me the opportunity to prove I'm willing to do everything it takes to confront the dangers threatening our society, and I couldn't be more thankful of her even if I tried. However, actions always speak louder than words, which is why I won't ask you to believe in what I say, but I will ask you to believe in what I do. Not so long ago, I would've told each and every single one of you I would go as far as to put my life at risk for the sake of protecting this city, but now, I can see that putting my life at risk is nothing but the _least_ I can do for you,"

The crowd began to clap, and some of the people who were present there started to whistle in support. While Kenai continued with his speech, Korra was standing nearby the stage, along with Tenzin and Pema. The Avatar couldn't help but stare at her boyfriend with a soft smile adorning her lips. Seeing Kenai so willing to accept the challenges in front of him made her feel a range of emotions, ranging from pride and happiness to respect and appreciation. The metalbender was truly a man she could rely on, and she felt lucky to have him by her side.

There was that, and there was also the fact that for some stupid reason Korra didn't want to admit, Kenai's assertiveness often had an effect on her, the kind of effect that made her want to bite her lips and get some fresh air. Most girls would agree that Kenai was fairly decent-looking, and Korra was no exception, but there was something else that Korra found attractive about him. She couldn't quite put it into words, but her boyfriend had this masculine, confident attitude that Korra felt drawn to. Maybe it was because she herself was a decisive person as well, one that wasn't afraid of getting her hands dirty in order to do her job. Whether that was the case or not, there was no denying that Kenai's respectful, yet still flirty and assertive personality towards her (especially when it was just the two of them alone) made Korra want to grab him by the shoulders and just smack him with a kiss.

"That boy got grown up so fast, it's almost hard to recognize him," Pema commented to her husband. "Time flies, doesn't it?"

"… That it does… That it most certainly does…" the sniffling voice of Tenzin replied. Pema turned her head to the left and saw her husband had a sad, pouty look on his face. His eyes were slightly puffy, and Pema couldn't help but ask.

"Sweetie… Are you crying?"

"No, not at all. It's just…" Tenzin pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose into it, casually wiping away a tear from his eye. "… It's just my allergies acting up again, darling. No reason to worry,"

He was so, so proud of his godson damn it.

Kenai felt his speech had gone long enough and decided to wrap things up. "I believe there's only one thing left to say: No matter what it takes or what price must be paid, the Equalist movement will fall. The time for excuses is over. As the First Commissar of Republic City's Police Department, I guarantee you that we will go to any length to combat these terrorists, and once law and order prevail, this authoritarian dystopia the Equalists are aiming for will be crushed and buried forever. Thank you all for coming today,"

As soon as he was done talking, a group of reporters tried to get on the podium like a pack of wolves, holding their cameras and asking questions as loudly as they could, but they were stopped by the guards attending the event. Since this was an induction ceremony and not a press conference, Kenai wasn't under the obligation to engage in an interview with any of those reporters. He normally tried to at least answer some of their questions and address some of their concerns so that the Police Department wouldn't get a bad reputation, but right now, he was too busy thinking about other things.

The metalbender went to the backstage where Korra, Tenzin, and Pema were waiting for him. Once he got there, Korra walked up to him and placed her arms around his neck, giving him a short, but fiery kiss. "You did great, Kenai. Or should I call you First Commissar Beifong now?" she teased him.

"Thanks, Korra. And no, you can keep calling me Kenai. I'm not so sure if 'First Commissar Beifong' is gonna catch on any time soon, but I guess we'll just have to see," Kenai replied. The two of them kissed again before Pema approached Kenai and gave him a hug.

"Congratulations on your promotion, Kenai. We are all very proud of you,"

"Thanks, aunt Pema. I'll do my best," Kenai said to the pregnant woman, gently returning the embrace.

There had always been a bit of awkwardness in his relationship with Pema given how Tenzin ended up with her and not Lin. It was weird to think that, had Pema not intervened, Tenzin could've married the daughter of Toph and he would've become Kenai's father instead of his godfather. Kenai didn't know how to feel about that, but he preferred not to spend too much time dwelling on it and instead tried to see the positive side. Pema was a good mother and a good wife, and Kenai knew for certain that his mother loved Ibaki, so in the end, he had no valid reason to resent her. It was still a bit strange, but not to the point where he couldn't handle it.

Lastly, Tenzin walked up to Kenai and placed his hand on his godson's shoulder, a warm smile on his face. "Kenai, my boy, seeing you like this makes me more proud than you can imagine. You've done well, and Republic City couldn't have asked for a finer First Commissar,"

Before Kenai could say something in return, an oily voice came from behind. "Oh, I could not possibly agree more,"

Just the tone in which those words were spoken was enough for Kenai to develop a frown on his face, recognizing the voice almost immediately. They all turned around to see Tarrlok standing there, smiling so casually and yet so smugly. The pleasant atmosphere in the backstage was replaced with a feeling of soberness and a hint of tension, causing everyone to narrow their eyes at the councilman.

"Councilman Tarrlok, how thoughtful of you to join us," Kenai said, using a neutral tone of voice to hide some of his annoyance. "Have you come to invite us to another one of your galas? Because if that's the case, I'm afraid I must respectfully turn down your invitation. As you can imagine, whatever little free time I used to have is gone now,"

"Galas? At a time like this?" Tarrlok feigned surprise and shook his head. "Don't be silly, First Commissar. There are much, much more pressing matters that require my attention, like Captain Saikhan being appointed as the new Chief of Police. I must say, I expect great things from that man. Chief Beifong did a decent job protecting this city, but sometimes, doing a decent job simply isn't enough. Besides, at a certain point, all old leaders past their primes must step aside and make room for a new one. Your mother was wise enough to understand that, and for that, she has my respect,"

'What a nice way to call my mom old,' Kenai thought as he began to clench his fist. However, he forced himself to calm down, not wanting Tarrlok to see him getting upset. He kept his cool and replied to Tarrlok's verbal jab with a jab of his own. "My mother is certainly wise, councilman Tarrlok. She taught me what kind of individuals I can and cannot trust. For example, she once told me I should never trust men who use way too much perfume, because that's how they try to cover the stench of their lies,"

Tarrlok's smirk faltered a little as the corner of his mouth twitched, but it only lasted for a couple of seconds. "Is that so?" he asked unconcerned, and with practiced ease, the councilman ignored Kenai's remark before focusing on Tenzin. "Ah, Tenzin, I thought I had seen you back there. This is quite an eventful day we're having, is it not?"

Just like his godson, the airbender was not amused by Tarrlok's intromission, but he lacked the will to play the politician's game of words and hidden meanings. "I'm warning you, Tarrlok. You better not try to manipulate Chief Saikhan like you tried to do with Lin. I won't hesitate to expose all of your ploys and schemes to the Council,"

The representative of the Northern Water Tribe chuckled. "I keep forgetting how much of a conspiracy theorist you are. But I cannot blame you, now can I? If I had to sit through the Council meetings and have every single one of my proposals rejected, maybe I would starting blaming other people instead of myself. However, I'm not here to remind you of your lack of success, I'm here to have a word with Avatar Korra,"

"You wanna talk to me?" Korra crossed her arms in a defiant manner, wrinkling her nose at him. By now, she was well aware of Tarrlok's manipulative nature and how he tried to expand his influence through various means, some of them shadier than others. Kenai had told her about the time when Tarrlok instructed those reporters at the gala to put pressure on her by asking her loads of premeditated questions, which ended up with Korra caving in and joining the councilman's task force. This made Korra realize how much of a scumbag Tarrlok really was, and she doubted she would have her opinion changed anytime soon. "Make it quick, then,"

"As you wish. The members of my task force and I have been wondering when we will have you back with us. Since Pro-bending is no longer something that can distract you, I expect you'll be rejoining us shortly,"

"You want me to rejoin your task force? Nice try pal, but my days in that vanity project of yours are long gone. Go find another sucker for all I care, just leave me alone. I'm working with Kenai, not for Chief Saikhan and definitely not for you,"

"Are you sure about that? That's unfortunate to hear. I thought we made a great team together. Oh well, I'll just have to wait until you come back to your senses, as you have in the past,"

"Ha! Don't hold your breath. You may need me, but I don't need you. For your information, I'm the Avatar and I can protect this city without your help,"

To her surprise, Tarrlok's smirk grew wider. "Is that the truth, or are you just telling yourself what you desperately want to hear?"

Korra's eyes slightly widened for a couple of seconds before the frown on her face reappeared. "What is that even supposed to mean?"

"From what I've seen so far, things have only gotten worse ever since you arrived. You recklessly challenged Amon and he nearly took your bending away. You pursued a career in Pro-bending instead of dealing with the problems that so deeply affect this city. You voted in favor of letting the Pro-bending finals to take place and placed all the spectators' lives at risk simply on a whim. And if that weren't enough, instead of owning up to your mistakes, you send your boyfriend to talk to the press in your place and let him take the heat. All of this happened right after you decided to abandon my task force. It boggles the mind, doesn't it?"

The councilman's words caused Korra to develop a stunned expression on her face, as if an invisible hand had just slapped her. So much was her anger that the hair on her skin bristled and her closed fists began to tremble, her knuckles turning white. But not only was she experiencing an untold amount of indignation, she was also shocked and fearful that Tarrlok might have a point, no matter how biased and unfair his perspective was. "That's… That's not true at all! You don't know what you're talking about!" she yelled, raising her voice in an attempt to cover the insecurity growing inside of her.

"If you say so, Avatar Korra. If you say so," Unlike Korra, the representative of the Northern Water Tribe kept his voice down. Watching Korra losing his temper was all he needed, for it meant the seeds of self-doubt were beginning to sprout inside the Avatar's consciousness. "Unfortunately, I must take my leave now. Chief Saikhan and I have urgent business to discuss. As soon as you decide to take your Avatar duties more seriously, feel free to schedule an appointment with my secretary anytime. Then we can talk about you rejoining my task force. Tenzin, First Commissar Beifong, Pema, have a pleasant day,"

Tarrlok turned around and casually left the scene, taking with him the slight feeling of dread that constantly seemed to surround the councilman. Kenai quickly stole a glance at Korra, whose jaw was slightly hanging after hearing what Tarrlok had to say about her, and a worried frown started to appear on the metalbender's face. He just hoped that Korra knew better than to allow the words of a big-mouthed rat to get to her.

"Pay him no mind, Korra," Tenzin said to her as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "That man is nothing more than a manipulator and a liar. I have my share of regrets, but allowing you to stay here in Republic City is not one of them. That I can assure you,"

Pema quickly chimed in. "In any case, I think this calls for a little celebration. Kenai, sweetie, how about you join us for dinner? I'll make sure to prepare those noodles that you like. Asami, Bolin, and Mako are invited as well, obviously,"

"Sure, that's fine by me. I'll have to drop by later though. I need to have a word with Chief Saikhan and several other officers," the metalbender said. Tarrlok was definitely going to try to meddle in the Police Department's affairs, and in order to prevent Tarrlok from expanding his influence, Kenai would have to strike preemptively and warn as many members in the department as he could. At the very least he needed to make sure Chief Saikhan was on his side and that they would be working together, not against one another.

Tenzin nodded in understanding and started to walk away along with his wife, leaving the two teens alone. Kenai then tried to approach his girlfriend and grab her hand, but Korra moved out of the way, her lips trembling.

"Korra?" Kenai asked, surprised by her rejection. It was the first time she had done something like this.

"I'm fine," she replied, a troubled look on her face. "I just… I need some space right now,"

"But you-"

"I said I'm fine," Korra snapped, raising her voice ever so slightly. "I'll see you at dinner," Before the metalbender could say something in return, the Avatar lowered her head and walked away at a fast pace.

Once Korra was out of sight, Kenai slapped his own forehead and his hand slid down his face, feeling more irritated than ever. 'Damn it all, why do these things keep happening?'

* * *

|Later at night, Air Temple Island|

Korra was not seen at dinner. As a matter of fact, almost no one had seen her ever since she had gotten back from Republic City after attending Kenai's induction.

When Mako, Bolin, and Asami asked why Korra wasn't at the table with them, Tenzin told them that Korra wasn't feeling too well and that they would have to start dinner without her, as unfortunate as it was. What should've been an enjoyable evening with lots of food and laughter ended up being a much duller affair for Kenai, who despite appreciating the effort that had gone into making the meal, couldn't quite get a kick out of it without Korra by his side. This was a special moment for him, but he didn't get to share it with his significant other thanks to Tarrlok, that sleazy douchebag of a politician.

Once dinner was over, Kenai went looking for Korra. She wasn't in her room or anywhere near and the Air Acolytes were just as clueless as he was regarding her whereabouts. As the search went on, Kenai's fears increased as he couldn't help but think about the possibility of Korra leaving the island and making a careless or emotionally-driven decision, so he picked up the pace and kept his eyes wide open.

Finally, after searching for the Avatar in every corner of the island, Kenai was about to alert Tenzin when he suddenly heard what seemed to be a loud sigh. He silently walked up to the edge of a tiny cliff and stared down at what was below. Korra was sitting by herself close to the end of the island, resting her elbows on her knees. The metalbender took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose, feeling glad that his girlfriend hadn't left the Air Temple, but quickly readied himself for another sentimental conversation. 'I swear, I didn't have half of these before I started dating her,' "Hey Korra," he called out.

Korra slowly turned her head around, and seconds after their gazes met, she returned to her previous position without saying a single word. Kenai shook his head and carefully placed his feet on the edge of the cliff before sliding down from it with the use of Earthbending, burying his heels into the earth to control the fall. Once he had reached the lower level, he walked over to where Korra was and took a seat next to her, hoping that his girlfriend would at least be willing to talk to him.

"We missed you at dinner," Kenai said gently as he looked at her. She didn't look like she had been crying, and if she had been, it hadn't been for very long. She did look, however, like she was going through great conflict with herself. It was hard to tell since it was dark and the only light that shone upon such remote spot of the island came from the moon and the stars.

"I wasn't hungry," she answered, her eyes still fixated on the bobbing movement of the waves in the ocean.

"Or in the best of moods, from what I can see," the metalbender said with a hint of humor, only to feel slightly stupid when Korra remained silent. It looked like soft sarcasm wasn't going to help him here, so Kenai decided to get serious. "Look, about what happened earlier-"

"I don't want to talk about it,"

"Why not? Why would you even concern yourself with anything Tarrlok says about you? He's a manipulative prick who tries to antagonize anyone he doesn't have control over. You know that as well as I do,"

"It's not that simple, okay?" Korra said, and for the first time, she looked at him in the eye. "You just… You just don't understand. I'm not the Avatar I thought I would be,"

Kenai furrowed his brow, trying to understand where all this was coming from. "What do you mean by that?"

"What Tarrlok said to me was… it was mean-spirited, but it wasn't a lie. When I first got here, I saw the state Republic City was in. I thought this was going to be my final test, the perfect opportunity to show the world what kind of Avatar I am. Finding out who the bad guys are, facing them head-on, helping those who needed me, it all sounded so simple at the beginning. But now… Now I realize how ignorant I was. This city is in so much trouble and I've barely done anything about it,"

Instead of arguing with her or trying to cheer her up, Kenai remained silent. Not because he didn't have anything to say, but rather because he understood what Korra was going through. More than anything, he understood.

The Avatar was a figure of such legendary status that people would often view them as all-powerful individuals of infinite wisdom and incorruptible morals, to the point where they were more spirits than humans in their eyes. As a result of that, they expected Korra to be able to solve all the problems the world faced, and so did Korra herself. After all, all of her past lives had done it, so why should her case be any different? However, there was a certain someone who played an important role in all of this, who happened to be none other than Aang, the Avatar before Korra.

At the young age of twelve, Aang managed to defeat the evil Fire Lord Ozai, putting an end to the Hundred Year War and leading the world back into its forgotten times of peace. He became a hero and his legend was spread across land and sea, becoming a historical figure in every sense of the term. With a predecessor like Aang, everyone was expecting Korra to be just as good an Avatar as he was, if not better. If the previous Avatar was a kid who ended the most violent conflict between nations ever known to mankind, then surely Korra, who was nearly an adult, had to be capable of solving the problems of a single city.

The pressure from the public, the criticism from the ignorant, the comparisons drawn between a person and his predecessor… Kenai had experienced all of that. His father might not have been as famous or as important as any of the previous Avatars, but for the people who lived in Republic City, Ibaki was a brave man who had sacrificed his life in order to save countless others. Naturally, they wanted to have another protector who was willing to do the same for them, and who better than Kenai, the son of the fallen hero?

"I just… It just feels like I can't be what everyone expects me to be," Korra murmured, lowering her head even more.

"… Who says that you have to?"

Korra raised her chin and glanced at her boyfriend, who was now staring at Republic City just like she was a couple of minutes ago. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Tell me something, Korra. Do you want to protect this city and the rest of the world? Do you want to help people and stop conflict wherever there is?"

"Kenai, you know that's not up for discussion. I'm the Avatar, I must do all of that,"

"That's not what I asked. Forget about being the Avatar for a second and answer me this. Do you _want_ to do it or not?"

The girl from the Southern Water Tribe remained silent, unsure of what to say. What sounded like a stupid question at first ended up being more complicated than she had anticipated, mainly because Korra had never thought of her job as something she could choose to do or not. She was born an Avatar, meaning that she was born to do what all the Avatars before her had done. It was her destiny, her purpose, her identity. She couldn't picture her own life doing something other than keeping the world safe.

On the other hand, Korra had found another reason for doing what she was doing, a reason that barely had anything to do with her being the Avatar. Kenai, Mako, Bolin, Asami, Lin, Tenzin and his family, all of them were in danger due to what was currently happening in Republic City. One way or another, all of those people's lives were at risk, and Korra would be _damned_ if she did nothing to protect them. Not because she was the Avatar, but because she had gotten to know them, care for them, and understand them. She meant something to them and they meant something to her. By treating her like a normal human being, they had gotten Korra to discover certain aspects about herself, aspects that had changed and still kept changing her worldview.

She owed them.

"Yeah, I guess I do want to," Korra said after a while. Her answer brought a smile to Kenai's face, who then took his eyes away from the city and placed a hand on Korra's shoulder.

"Then do it, but do it under your own terms. The manner in which your previous lives handled problems and confronted danger was up to them, and now it's up to you. Be your own person, search for your own achievements, and be a successful Avatar because you truly want to be one, not because the others before you were successful,"

Korra developed a puzzled expression on her face as she tried to understand what Kenai was telling her. "So I shouldn't care what other people think of me or say to me?"

"No, that's not the point I'm trying to make. By all means, you should listen to what those around you have to say, both the good and the bad stuff. If you don't, you'll become close-minded and selfish. However, listening to yourself is equally as important. It's okay to respect and admire people, but it's not okay to obsess over them because you'll never be them and they'll never be you. Just be yourself, the best version of yourself, and let the rest think whatever they want,"

And that was the reason why, after so long, Kenai had decided to start wearing the old helmet. It used to belong to his father and he would never forget that, but now it belonged to him. It was _his_ helmet, and he would wear it proudly. He would no longer shame himself for not being a replica of Ibaki.

He was Kenai Beifong, a young man who had recently just begun to understand two important things: That trying to become like his father was not the same as trying to become his father, and that he could remember and acknowledge the past without having to live in it.

"… You know, every time you say things like that, it makes me feel like I'm talking to an ancient guru or something," Korra said all of a sudden, a small smile slowly growing on her lips.

"A guru?" Kenai repeated. "No thanks, I'm in no hurry to go bald and grow a foot-long beard,"

They both chuckled at that. Admittedly, Kenai thought it was slightly arrogant of him to give Korra advice on something he had just learned, as if pretending to be some wise and experienced sage. He wasn't anything of the sort, but at the same time, helping Korra was all that mattered to him right now.

"Thanks for talking to me, Kenai. I know I can be a bit too much to handle sometimes, but I really do appreciate what you do for me, more than you think," Korra said, giving Kenai that adorable smile he loved so much. He always thought Korra looked attractive with her smile, her deep blue eyes, and her dark skin. But now, being so close to her and under the moonlight, she truly looked like the most beautiful girl in the world.

Korra then scooted closer to Kenai. Instead of kissing or hugging each other like they normally did, they leaned forward until their foreheads touched and staid like that with their eyes closed, feeling each other's breathing. It was a simple show of affection, different from the others they shared, but just as meaningful as any of them. They weren't feeling the need to taste each other's lips or to have their bodies tightly pressed against one another. This time, being close enough to touch each other was all they needed.

This went on for a while until Kenai heard Korra speak. "Hey, Kenai?"

"Mhmm?" he answered, still gently rubbing his forehead against hers.

"I just want you to know that… That you really make me feel special," Very much against her will, Korra's cheeks went bright pink and her hands began to shake. All of this escaped Kenai's notice as the metalbender had his eyes closed, thinking that Korra was just being sweet. He wasn't prepared in the slightest for what his girlfriend was about to say. "… I want to tell you that… I think I'm falling in lo-"

"There they are! Guys, I found them, they're here!" Bolin's voice was heard loudly enough for Korra to stop mid-sentence, making her back away from Kenai in shock. Her body was immediately covered in goosebumps and her heart started beating at least twice as fast. None of this came to Kenai's notice as his reaction was to simply look over his shoulder, only looking mildly surprised after being found by the earthbender. Mako and Asami showed up seconds later and stared at the couple all the way from the top of the cliff.

"What were you two doing down there? We've been looking for you all over the place," Mako said.

"Hey guys, Korra and I were just having a private conversation," Kenai explained, a little disappointed for his tender moment with Korra having to end. "We needed to be alone for a while. It wasn't our intention to make any of you worried,"

"We're not interrupting anything important, are we?" Asami asked.

Kenai shrugged his shoulders. "Don't worry about it. I'd say we're pretty much done here. Anyways, what is it that you wanted to tell me, Korra?"

Meanwhile, Korra was just starting to realize what words had nearly escaped from her mouth, and her face began to blush just about every shade of red. The surrounding temperature suddenly became unbearable, suffocating the Avatar and making her sweat like crazy. A thousand thoughts were galloping inside her head, all of them berating Korra for losing control of her tongue and nearly admitting to Kenai something she herself wasn't exactly sure of.

'What in the Spirit World was I thinking!? I can't just say something like that out loud! I don't even feel that way towards Kenai… A-And even if I did, it's still too early! Ghah, why am I such a moron when it comes to this stuff?'

"… Korra, are you listening?"

When Korra finally registered Kenai's voice, she realized everyone was staring at her, waiting for her to say something. "Huh?"

"You were just about to tell me something when Bolin came in," Kenai repeated patiently. "Well, what was it?"

Korra remained quiet for a while, wondering what on Earth was she supposed to say. Then, after mustering all of her wit, she let out the most uncomfortable smile to ever grace her pretty face and made a dismissing hand gesture. "O-Oh, I was just saying that I'm… That I'm falling in love with the idea of stopping some bad guys tonight and showing Tarrlok who's boss! I won't allow that jerk or his task force to steal my thunder!" she said before bursting into forced laughter. "You guys thought me and Kenai were in the middle of a love confession or something like that? Come on, that's so ridiculous! Anyways, what's up?"

…

Unsurprisingly enough, Korra's reply was greeted with an awkward silence. Mako, Bolin, and Asami shared a confused glance between the three of them, not really expecting to hear what they had just heard. As for Kenai, the oblivious metalbender was left wondering what had gotten into his girlfriend, a thick drop of sweat rolling down his temple. It was nice to see Korra getting back to her feet after feeling sulky, but why did she have to act so weird all of a sudden? Had he missed something important during his conversation with Korra?

"Well, I guess I should get back to work," Kenai spoke, placing his hands behind his waist as he stretched his back. He was probably better off without knowing what had caused Korra's strange and sudden reaction, and so were the rest of his friends. "I was thinking about taking the night off, but since Korra here is so eager to one-up Tarrlok, I guess we can go search for some thugs to arrest. The rest of you can stay here and relax,"

"Actually, would you mind getting up here? There's something we would like to discuss with the pair of you," Asami said.

Curious to hear what Asami had to say to them, Kenai and Korra used Earthbending to climb up the small cliff, reaching the top in a few seconds. "What's going on?" the Avatar asked as soon as she got there, wishing nothing more than to forget about her embarrassing moment.

For a brief moment, Asami, Mako, and Bolin shared a knowing look before nodding at themselves. "While you two were away, we were talking about all the things that have happened so far, and we came to a decision. We were hoping to bring this up during dinner, but we wanted to wait until all five of us were together," Asami spoke on Mako's and Bolin's behalf. "The thing is, we can't just sit here while you two are out there fighting a war. You're gonna need all the help you can get,"

"Which is why we want to pitch in and give you guys a hand. The five of us should become the new Team Avatar!" Bolin exclaimed excitedly.

"The new Team Avatar?" Kenai repeated.

"That's right! When Avatar Aang ended the Hundred Year War, he didn't do it on his own. He had the help of Sokka, Katara, Fire Lord Zuko, and even your grandmother Toph Beifong. There's no reason Korra shouldn't have a team of her own,"

Korra blinked a few times, clearly taken by surprise. "You guys want to become a team? But why? I mean, I'm aware that we've worked together a couple of times, but this… This is different. We're talking about stopping a war here. Why would you want to put your lives in danger for me?"

It's wasn't that Korra didn't appreciate their willingness to help her, but she certainly was confused by it. She was the Avatar, as well as the main target of the Equalist movement, so she was involved in this conflict whether she liked it or not. Kenai, being a law enforcer, had been fighting back against Amon's revolution since before Korra had even set a foot on Republic City, and his role was more important than ever now that he had the special rank of First Commissar. But Asami, Mako, and Bolin were just regular people who had gotten thrown into this mess either by fate or by accident. They should be trying to walk out of it, not further into it.

"We want to do it because that's precisely what you two have done for us, Korra," Mako said, gaining the attention of Korra and Kenai. "Before we met, Bolin and I had been on our own for years. You guys were the first people that bothered to help us when you didn't have to. That means something to us, so returning the favor is the least we can do," The firebender started rubbing his neck out of awkwardness. Giving speeches about friendship wasn't something he was used to, but he meant every word of what he had just said.

Bolin nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you guys are pretty awesome. Saving our Pro-bending team, rescuing me from Amon, putting a roof over our heads, you did all of that without us even having to ask. And maybe I shouldn't say this, but even though it's been dangerous, being part of this group has been a lot of fun… Well, except for the time when Amon almost took my bending away. That was super-duper scary, but it's also part of the reason why I want to help,"

"And as for me, I have to do my share and try to make things right with this city," Asami said with a soft voice. "Now that I know what… what my father has been doing all of this time, I just can't bear the thought of not doing anything about it. I need this, I need this more than anything else, and it's only thanks to Korra that I have the chance to fix some of my father's wrongs. I'd be honored to be a part of this team, and we'll stick together no matter what happens,"

Korra's eyes widened, and so did the smile on Kenai's face. This was exactly what Korra needed to hear after struggling with self-doubt. She knew she could always count on him for support, moral or otherwise, but having people other than him expressing their genuine gratitude and offering the Avatar their help without asking for anything in return was truly heartwarming. Korra certainly seemed to feel touched as her eyes began to gather moisture.

"I… I don't know what to say," Korra responded with some difficulty. The knot in her throat was making it hard for her to talk, but it didn't stop her from smiling. She couldn't possibly feel sad right now, not with the support displayed by everyone around her.

Smirking knowingly, Kenai raised a closed fist and held it at waist height. The rest of them followed Kenai's gesture and held their fists in a horizontal fashion until their knuckles met. The only fist that was missing was Korra's, who was staring at them slightly surprised.

"You may not know what to say, but you know what to do, don't you?" Kenai asked teasingly. Korra let out a short chuckle before quickly wiping away a tiny tear. Then, she closed her fist and joined the rest of her friends, completing the collective handshake. That night, the Avatar found two things: A crew to aid her in her journey, and a group of friends that would always have her back.

And so, the new Team Avatar was born.

* * *

Aaaaaaaaaand that was chapter 11. Hope you all liked it.

First of all, I'd like to wish everyone a happy new year. I can't wait to see what 2020 has in store for me and I hope all of you have a fantastic rest of the year.

Now, let's address a few things, shall we?

Yes, this is indeed one of those chapters that have little action and lots of dialogue. I personally find it frustrating when I can't write a chapter with more "entertaining" content such as fight scenes or whatever, and I hate not being able to give the story a faster pace at certain points. However, I have to stay loyal to my writing style and describe the scenes that I consider to be important, even if it slows the story down at times. Don't worry, the next chapter will be far more exciting than this one. I have a few ideas that I really want to develop.

How was Tenzin's explanation on what a First Commissar is? I took inspiration from the oligarchic Roman republic, where the power was held by two consuls. To put it briefly, Kenai and Saikhan have the same amount of authority now, and if one of them gives an order to his men, the other one cannot give his men an order that directly or indirectly goes against the first one.

In the original episode, Korra feels bad because Tarrlok reminds her of her inability to perform Airbending. I personally think that this wasn't as impactful as the show made it out to be, mainly because Korra's Airbending learning process was handled rather poorly in my humble opinion. Therefore, I took the liberty of replacing that aspect and instead have Tarrlok criticize Korra for being unable to solve the problems Republic City was facing at the time, belittling her and the things she had accomplished so far. I believe this suits this story better, but feel free to tell me otherwise in the form of a review or a PM.

As for Korra having her love confession interrupted… Yeah, you're gonna have to wait more until Kenai hears it lol. I really don't like stories where characters tell their significant other that they are in love with them without having spent nearly enough time with them or when it comes out of nowhere (*cough cough* Mako and Korra in season 1 *cough cough*). This scene was made mostly for comedic purposes, but I do think something like this could happen to Korra. After all, she's in her very first romantic relationship ever, and not only is she young and naïve in that sense, but she's also been shown to have problems keeping her emotions in check before. I'd say this is fitting for someone like Korra, whose social inexperience/clumsiness derives from all the years she spent under the careful vigilance of the White Lotus without interacting with peers of her age.

Anyways, it will most likely take me a while to upload the next chapter. I'm on vacation right now and I don't feel like spending these days typing on my computer. The first and last two months of every year are usually my most inactive periods of time as I am either studying for exams or traveling. I'll try my best to have the next chapter ready by the first half of March or sooner.

Don't forget to Review, Favorite & Follow

Peace!


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